Vitamin D Studied for Weight, Lipid and Blood Sugar Metabolism

In a recent study, investigators evaluated the association between vitamin D and the related metabolic factors of weight, inflammation, and lipid and blood sugar metabolism that are hallmarks of metabolic syndrome. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin important for numerous physiological functions such as calcium balance, cell differentiation, immune function and insulin secretion.

The subjects included 375 women with a waist circumference of 88 cm or greater. Researchers assessed these women for metabolic syndrome based on criteria that included inflammatory markers, blood sugar metabolism, lipids and blood pressure. The women without metabolic syndrome were utilized as the control group, and the women with metabolic syndrome were used as the experimental group. The study authors also assessed the women for anthropometric measurements including waist-to-hip ratio, body mass index and body fat mass.

The results: women in the experimental group had significantly higher body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and body fat mass compared to the control group. The experimental group also had lower serum osteocalcin, the hormone that supports bone formation and stimulates insulin release. There was no difference between the two groups in serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D or intact parathyroid hormone, which regulates calcium metabolism. The women in the control group exhibited more balanced levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammatory processes, compared to the experimental group.

In the experimental group, the women with deficient levels of vitamin D also had higher plasma glucose concentrations compared to those with vitamin D insufficiency or sufficiency. Further analysis revealed that serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D was the main predictor of both CRP and plasma glucose.

The study authors concluded that vitamin D status may, at least in part, be a determining factor in inflammatory processes and the related metabolic changes.

Reference:

Salekzamani S, Neyestani TR, Alavi-Majd H, Houshiarrad A, Kalayi A, Shariatzadeh N, Gharavi A. Is vitamin D status a determining factor for metabolic syndrome? A case-control study. Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2011;4:205-12.