Low vitamin d levels in northern american adults with the metabolic syndrome.

Horm Metab Res. 2011 Jan;43(1):72-4. Epub 2010 Nov 25.
Devaraj S, Jialal G, Cook T, Siegel D, Jialal I.
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of California, Davis, Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, USA.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS), is a constellation of cardiometabolic disease risk factors, that affects _1 in 3 US adults and predisposes to increased risks for both diabetes and cardiovascular disease__. While epidemiological studies show low vitamin D (25(OH)D levels in MetS, there is sparse data on vitamin D status in MetS patients in North America.

Thus, the aim of our study was to examine plasma vitamin D concentration among adults with MetS in Northern California (sunny climate), but without diabetes or cardiovascular disease. 25(OH)D levels were significantly decreased in MetS compared to controls. 8 % of controls and 30% of MetS North American adult subjects were deficient in 25(OH)D (<20 ng/ml; p=0.0236, Controls vs. MetS).

There were no significant differences between the groups with respect to blood sampling in winter and summer months, total calcium and phosphate, and creatinine levels.

Vitamin D levels were significantly inversely correlated with fasting glucose (r=-0.29, p=0.04) and HOMA (r=-0.34, p=0.04). Future studies of vitamin D supplementation in these subjects on subsequent risk of diabetes will prove instructive with respect to potential health claims in these high risk patients with MetS.
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York. PMID: 21110290