Högskolan i Skövde

Background

Vitamin D status has previously been associated with cardiometabolic risk markers in children and adolescents. In particular, it has been suggested that children with obesity are more prone to vitamin D deficiency and unfavorable metabolic outcomes compared to healthy-weight children. However, to date, there have been few longitudinal studies assessing this association in children stratified by BMI category.

Methods

Children from the pan-European IDEFICS/I.Family cohort with at least one measurement of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) at cohort entry or follow-up (n=2,171) were included in this study. Linear mixed-effect models were used to assess the association between serum 25(OH)D as an independent variable and z-scores of cardiometabolic risk markers [waist circumference (WC), systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP), high (HDL) and low density lipoprotein, non-HDL, triglycerides (TRG), apolipoprotein A1 and B (ApoB), fasting glucose (FG), homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), metabolic syndrome score] as dependent variables.

Results

After adjustment for age, sex, study region, smoking and alcohol status, sports club membership, screen time, BMI, parental education, and month of blood collection, 25(OH)D levels were inversely associated with SBP, DBP, FG, HOMA-IR and TRG. The HOMA-IR z-score decreased by 0.07 units per 5 ng/ml increase in 25(OH)D. 25(OH)D was consistently associated with HOMA-IR irrespective of sex or BMI category.

Conclusion

Low serum 25(OH)D concentrations are associated with unfavorable levels of cardiometabolic markers in children and adolescents. Interventions to improve vitamin D levels in children with a poor status early in life may help to reduce cardiometabolic risk.