Session Speaker

Vitamin D Status is Associated with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors Among Non-Obese Children and Adolescents
Nasser M. Al-Daghri, Omar S. Al-Attas, Majed S Alokail, Khalid M. Alkharfy, Mansour Yousef, Hesham Mohammed Nadhrah, Abdulaziz Al-Othman and Shaun Louie B. Sabico
Suadi Arab

Context: Hypovitaminosis D has recently gained attention as a novel risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The relationship of vitamin D status to cardiometabolic risk factors among children and adolescents however has been limited.

Objectives: This study aims to determine whether cardiometabolic parameters are influenced by circulating levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D among non-obese children and adolescents

Design: Cross-sectional study

Setting: Biomarker Screening in KSA, a population-based study

Subjects: 186 Randomly selected, apparently healthy Saudi boys (mean age 12.4 ± 3.7 years) and 114 girls (mean age 11.6 ± 3.7) with parental consent and participants' assent participated.

Interventions: Anthropometric measurements included body mass index, waist and circumference as well as blood pressure. Fasting blood samples were also collected and serum glucose as well as lipid profile were measured using routine methods.

Main Outcome Measures: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D was quantified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results: 25-Hydroxyvitamin was inversely correlated to age, BMI, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, waist, hips and triglycerides (and was positively associated to HDL-cholesterol. Age and systolic blood pressure were the significant predictors for 25-hydroxyvitamin D, explaining 31 % of the variance perceived (p = 0.0005).

Conclusions: Significant inverse associations of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D to cardiometabolic parameters present promising cardioprotective benefits of vitamin D status correction at an early age either by supplementation or lifestyle modification. Follow up clinical intervention studies are needed to validate hypothesis.