Authors : Manju Bansal, Madhur Gupta
Volume : 5
Issue : 3
Year : 2006
Page No : 26-29
Diabetes Mellitus Type 2 (DM 2) is one of the common metabolic disorders that causes micro-and macro-vascular complications affecting the global population. DM 2 and its vascular complications are associated with several mechanisms, one of which is oxidative stress. Ascorbic acid, one of the potent antioxidants that causes detoxification of free radicals. We aimed to evaluate the ascorbic acid levels and its relation to fasting blood sugar levels, glycated haemoglobin levels (HbA1c) and lipid profile among healthy non-diabetic control (n = 50) and Diabetic patients (n=100). We found that in diabetic patients, ascorbic acid levels were reduced as compared to normal subjects. Moreover, HbA1c levels were also found to be deranged in the diabetic subjects. The levels of Total Cholesterol, Triglycerides, LDL and VLDL were found increased in DM 2 patients, whereas HDL levels were decreased. Furthermore, we found that FBS levels and lipid levels were more deranged in diabetic males as compared to diabetic females. Our results indicate the prevalence of ascorbic acid deficiency in diabetic patients with significant inverse relationship of FBS, HbA1c and lipid profile (TCh, TG, LDL and VLDL) with ascorbic acid. Early detection of diabetes and use of supplements with vitamin C could be beneficial to prevent dyslipidemias in diabetic patients, but large group studies are further needed to get the causal relationship.