Researchers have found that vitamin D deficiency is an independent risk factor for abnormal carotid intima-media thickness in obese children and adolescents, according to a recent study published in the journal Neurology. Nutrition Hospital By Liu C. and colleagues.
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with many health problems, including bone disease and metabolic disorders. This is not well documented, particularly with regard to cardiovascular health in obese children and adolescents. Therefore, in this study, we sought to determine whether low levels of vitamin D are associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness and thus predispose to the development of disease later in life.
This was a study of 440 obese children aged 6-16 years. All anthropometric measurements, blood pressure, blood lipids, blood glucose levels, and serum vitamin D concentrations were evaluated. Carotid artery ultrasound was performed bilaterally to record carotid intima-media thickness. Vitamin D levels were correlated with CIMT by multivariate linear regression model using the generalized linear model method with restricted cubic splines. Binary logistic regression analysis was also performed to examine the relationship between vitamin D status and the risk of abnormal CIMT.
Key findings
• In subjects with high serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, vitamin D levels were inversely correlated with CIMT. [25(OH)D] Levels ≤50 nmol/L.
• Specifically, the beta coefficient was β = -0.147 (95% CI). [-0.263, -0.030]p = 0.013), indicating that lower vitamin D levels were associated with greater CIMT.
• This correlation was not observed in subjects with serum 25(OH)D concentrations >50 nmol/L, suggesting a threshold effect.
• After adjusting for confounding factors, patients with vitamin D deficiency had a significantly higher risk of abnormal CIMT.
• The odds ratio for abnormal CIMT in the vitamin D deficiency group was OR = 2.080 (95% CI [1.112, 3.891]p = 0.022).
The results suggest that vitamin D deficiency may be one of the potential causes of early atherosclerosis development in obese children and adolescents. Vitamin D levels were inversely correlated with CIMT, further indicating that maintaining adequate levels of this vitamin may be important for the cardiovascular health of this high-risk population. The lack of a significant correlation in people with higher vitamin D levels may suggest that there may be a threshold above which vitamin D becomes harmful to vascular health.
For obese children and adolescents, vitamin D deficiency is an independent factor for abnormal CIMT. This study points out that the need for monitoring and treating vitamin D deficiency in cardiovascular risk management in obese adolescents should not be underestimated. Further studies are needed to explore the detailed mechanisms of vitamin D action on the atherosclerotic process and define optimal vitamin D levels for cardiovascular health.
reference:
Liu C, Xia X, Zhu T, Gu W, Wang Z. Decreased vitamin D concentrations are associated with increased carotid intima-media thickness in obese children and adolescents. Nutr Hosp. 2024-07-10. English. doi: 10.20960/nh.05265. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39037178. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39037178/
