International Journal of Applied Sciences and Biotechnology

Vitamin D status indicated by 25-hydroxyvitamin D, along with its classic role in calcium homeostasis and bone metabolism, is thought to be inversely associated with adiposity, glucose homeostasis, lipid profiles, and blood pressure. Studies among the western population have also shown it to be inversely associated with metabolic syndrome (MS) and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). However, evidence from the Asian population is limited. Therefore, the present study aimed to study the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (VDD) (<20 ng/mL) and its association with metabolic risk factors among adults. About 129 adults in the age group 30-60 years, who gave consent for participation, were enrolled in the study through snowball effect. Anthropometric measurements were recorded using standard methods & tools. Serum 25(OH)D was estimated by CLIA method, lipid profile and fasting-glucose using enzymatic kits. MS was defined using NCEP ATP-III, 2005 guidelines. The results revealed that, around 88% of the subjects had VDD, with the prevalence being significantly higher among females than males (95% vs 77%). 31% of the population had MS of which 87.5% were vitamin-D deficient. The vitamin-D status of the subjects was not significantly related with the risk of developing MS (OR=0.88, 95% CI= 0.28-2.78). None of the risk factors for MS correlated significantly with the vitamin-D levels of the subjects. Waist-circumference (Exp(B)= 0.281, 95% CI= 0.089-0.887) entered the model for logistic regression with vitamin-D status as the dependent variable. Thus the results highlighted the high prevalence of VDD among the population and it was independently associated with greater abdominal obesity.