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Obesity led to vitamin D deficiency
There is evidence that obesity is a causal factor in the development of vitamin D deficiency, and higher BMI leads to a lower vitamin D status, according to data published in PLOS Medicine.
“Vitamin D deficiency is an active health concern around the world. While many health messages have focused on a lack of sun exposure or excessive use of sunscreens, we should not forget that vitamin D deficiency is also caused by obesity,” study researcher Elina Hyppönen, PhD, MPH, of the University College London’s Institute of Child Health, said in a press release. “Our study highlights the importance of monitoring and treating vitamin D deficiency in people who are overweight or obese, in order to alleviate adverse health effects caused by a lack of vitamin D.”
Hypponen and colleagues examined 21 adult cohorts (n=42,024) with 12 BMI-related single nucleotide polymorphisms to create a measurement for BMI and four single nucleotide polymorphisms linked to 25-hydroxyvitamin D, as a measurement for vitamin D.
According to data, each 1 kg/m2 higher BMI was associated with 1.15% lower 25-(OH)D. The researchers wrote that BMI allele scores were associated with BMI (P=6.3×10–62) and 25-(OH)D (–0.06%; 95% CI, –0.1 to –0.02) in cohorts that were examined in meta-analyses.
Additional data indicate that the two vitamin D allele scores were significantly linked to 25-(OH)D (P≤8.07×10–57 for both scores). However, this was not the case with BMI (synthesis score, P=.88; metabolism score, P=.08) in the meta-analysis, they wrote.
These findings suggest a 10% genetically higher BMI with 4.2% lower 25-(OH)D (P=.005), whereas no link was observed for genetically instrumented 25-(OH)D with BMI. Therefore, researchers suggest population-level interventions to decrease obesity and highlight the importance of proper maintenance of vitamin D deficiencies.
Disclosure: Hyppönen reports no relevant financial disclosures. See the full study for the other researchers’ financial disclosures.
Perspective
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This is an excellent manuscript relating obesity and circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D in a very sophisticated manner. Obesity is indeed an increasing problem in the United States and elsewhere but I am not sure what is "the chicken or the egg" in their findings. 25-(OH)D is the major circulating vitamin D but the most biologically active vitamin D is 1-25 dihydroxyvitamin D. It is disappointing that this analyte was not included in this study. Additonally the adverse health outcomes of obesity are well recognized but to my knowledge the impact of lower levels of 25-(OH)D in obese patients are not well documented in this or other studies. Another concern that I have is that vitamin D is available over the counter in several doses and the cost of a 25-(OH)D assay could buy a few years worth of OTC vitamin D.