Vitamins May Help Prevent Infections in Diabetics
 (NY, Reuters Health, 3/3/03)

Dr. Thomas A. Barringer of Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC, and team studied 130 adults, 30% of whom were diabetic, to determine whether taking a multivitamin daily would affect their susceptibility to minor infections; such as flu, gastro-intestinal infections and upper respiratory infections. The investigators found that the non-diabetic subjects did not show a significant change in their rate of infection; however, among the participants with Type 2 diabetes, only 17% of those taking multivitamins reported having an infection, compared with a 93% infection rate among those taking the placebo. The investigators speculate that the multivitamin may have been effective for the diabetic subjects because it offset their tendency to have nutrient deficiencies.