[Prophylactic and therapeutic use of vitamins in diabetes (author's transl)]

The hypothesis that diabetes mellitus is a syndrome has been confirmed by recent physiopathological studies. In idiopathic diabetes differences in the genetic status and in the alternations of the beta cells allow to identify two completely different diseases: type 1 (or juvenile) diabetes and type II (or adult) diabetes. On the basis of the differences in the physiopathology of the different types of diabetes, the usefulness of vitamin supplementation for prophylaxis and therapy is discussed. The nutritional intake of thiamine is, for instance, recommended for patients suffering from the type II disease. Riboflavin deficiency has recently been observed in rat experimental diabetes as well as in human type II diabetes; the vitamin deficiency seems to be relevant in connection with functional alterations of pancreatic beta-cells. Other water-soluble vitamins are known to be involved in the pathogenesis and evolution of diabetes mellitus. Among the fat-soluble vitamins, retinol ought to be mentioned because of its importance in the mechanism of synthesis of pre-collagen and in view of the alterations in collagen and glycoprotein synthesis which accompany diabetes. Moreover, a diminished secretion of insulin has been described together with vitamins deficiences. The critical analysis of these data enables the diabetologist to define a reliable program for the prophylaxis and treatment of different kinds of diabetes.