A vitamin supplement may increase the risk of developing diabetes

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A meta-analysis of more than 20,000 people found that long-term treatment with niacin may increase insulin resistance and blood sugar levels in people.

Type 2 diabetes is widely considered a lifelong condition that causes too much sugar in the blood. This often causes insulin resistance, which can lead to dangerously dysregulated blood sugar levels if poorly controlled. Genetics and lifestyle are the most important risk factors for diabetes, but some supplements have also been linked to the disease, Express reports.

Niacin – vitamin B3 – has been shown to induce negative insulin metabolism, improving glucose control and insulin sensitivity.

One potentially important side effect of nicotinic acid is known to be an increase in glucose levels in people with diabetes.

The effect can occur in people without the disease, potentially increasing the risk of developing diabetes. In a meta-analysis of 11 trials involving more than 26,340 non-diabetic participants, 1,371 participants were diagnosed with diabetes during a follow-up period of 3.6 years. “Niacin therapy was associated with a relative risk of developing diabetes of 1.34.” This corresponds to one additional case of diabetes for every 43 initially non-diabetic people treated for five years. Treating 43 non-diabetic patients with the supplement for five years would result in one additional case of diabetes. Furthermore, most of these patients required hospitalization as a result. However, the mechanisms explaining the detrimental effects of niacin on blood sugar control and diabetes remain unclear.