Relationship of serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels and components of metabolic syndrome in prepubertal children

• We investigated serum 25(OH)D levels with lipid and metabolic components in Korean prepubertal children.
• A significant inverse relationship between 25(OH)D and triacylglycerol levels was noted.
• A significant association between triacylglycerol levels and 25(OH)D concentrations was observed even after adjusting for body mass index (BMI) z-scores, age, sex, birth order, fruit or fruit juice intake, and maternal educational level.

ObjectiveThe relationship between 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels and the lipid and metabolic levels of the prepubertal normal population is unclear. Our goals were to investigate the association of serum 25(OH)D concentrations with lipid and metabolic levels in Korean prepubertal children ages 7–9 y.MethodsWe followed 205 children, ages 7–9 y in the Ewha Birth and Growth Cohort study, a prospective cohort sample established in 2001–2006, from July to August 2011. We studied the association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels with components of metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance indices using multivariate regression analysis adjusted for body mass index (BMI) z-scores.ResultsThe mean age of the 205 subjects was 7.89 ± 0.85 y, and the sample included 109 boys (53.2%). The average 25(OH)D levels of all participants was 25.0 ± 5.4 ng/mL. After adjustment for age and sex, triacylglycerol levels were significantly associated with 25(OH)D (β = –0.02, P = 0.02) concentrations even after adjustment for BMI z-scores (β = −0.02, P = 0.04). However, other metabolic components were not correlated with 25(OH)D status. Those with the lowest quartile of 25(OH)D levels had the highest serum triacylglycerol levels (P = 0.04, Ptrend = 0.01).ConclusionsWe found that serum 25(OH)D levels were negatively associated with serum triacylglycerol levels, even independently of adiposity, in prepubertal children. This study suggests that 25(OH)D insufficiency is related to metabolic syndrome via the derangement of triacylglycerol metabolism.