Applied nutritional investigationVitamin D status and its association with adiposity and oxidative stress in schoolchildren
Introduction
Increasing evidence suggests that vitamin D has multiple biological functions [1] in addition to regulation of calcium, phosphorus, and bone metabolism. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] is regarded as the best indicator of vitamin D status. Although there is no consensus on optimal levels of 25(OH)D in serum, most experts define vitamin D deficiency as a 25(OH)D concentration < 20 ng/mL [2]. In China, little is known about the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in school-aged children.
Previous studies in adults suggested a negative association between serum 25(OH)D and adiposity [3], [4]. However, it remains unclear whether a similar association between serum 25(OH)D and adiposity also exists in school-aged children, especially considering that vitamin D insufficiency in children is common in various parts of the world [5].
Excess fat gain often is accompanied by low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress. Additionally, the anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects of vitamin D have been described in a series of in vitro and in vivo studies. Vitamin D has been shown to have a role in T-cell–mediated immunity and inflammatory response, and has beneficial effects in improving various autoimmune diseases [6]. It also has been reported that vitamin D has a significant protective role against cellular stress [7], and may function as an antioxidant in the liver [8]. However, the associations between serum 25(OH)D levels and biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress were rarely reported in large-scale cross-sectional studies of school-aged children.
Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess serum 25(OH)D level and its association with adiposity, inflammation, and oxidative stress in schoolchildren living in North China.
Section snippets
Participants
The participants in this school-based cross-sectional study were schoolchildren ages 7 to 11 y. Six schools were randomly selected from all primary schools in Harbin, including two small-scale schools (n < 800), two middle-scale schools (n ≤ 800 and ≤ 1000, respectively), and 2 large-scale schools (n > 1 000). Two classes from each grade were randomly selected from grades 1 to 5 of each selected primary school. All students were free from physical disability, congenital diseases, and any
General characteristics of participants
General characteristics of the participants are summarized in Table 1. No significant difference in serum 25(OH)D concentration was found between boys (18.7 ng/mL, 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.9–33.5) and girls (18.1 ng/mL, 95% CI, 6.5–32.6). There was also no significant difference between boys and girls in the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (56.2% versus 56.7%). Energy expenditure, duration of total physical activity, and dietary energy intake are also presented in Table 1.
Adiposity in groups with different vitamin D status
After
Discussion
Children are at high-risk for vitamin D deficiency. In the United States, it was reported that 47% of children ages 4 to 18 y suffer from vitamin D deficiency [25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L] in Philadelphia, and 48% of adolescent girls in Maine [15], [16]. Even in countries with significant sunshine, vitamin D deficiency in children is common. For example, data from Iran showed that 46.2% (72.1% in girls) of high school students had low serum 25(OH)D concentrations (<20 ng/mL) due to avoidance of
Conclusion
Poor serum 25(OH)D concentration, commonly found in schoolchildren in Harbin, is closely associated with higher adiposity and lower SOD concentration. These results suggest that school-aged children with vitamin D deficiency are at higher risk for diseases caused by higher adiposity and oxidative stress.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the researchers and medical personnel of Harbin Medical University for their efforts and collaboration in this study.
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This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81172649 and No.81130049). C-HS and YL were responsible for the conception, design, and data interpretation of the study. H-QZ was responsible for data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, and writing the first draft of the manuscript. J-HT, X-XL, XH, and Y-HH were responsible for data collection and data interpretation. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript. The authors declared no conflict of interest.