Association of Vitamin D Concentrations with subjective health complaints in children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-V study

Vitamin D deficiency: A forgotten aspect in sleep disorders? A critical update

Over the past few years, there has been a surge in interest regarding the connection between sleep duration and quality, sleep disorders, mainly Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and Vitamin D. There is growing evidence to support a new role of Vitamin D in the maintenance and regulation of optimal sleep. Furthermore, a notable link has been identified between OSA and a decrease in serum Vitamin D levels, which appears to intensify as the severity of sleep apnea worsens. Vitamin D status could also potentially serve as a mediator or provide an explanation for the association between OSA and cardiometabolic morbidity, but the current state of research in this area is inadequate. Studies have indicated that the supplementation of Vitamin D can optimize sleep quality, presenting more proof of the connection between insufficient vitamin D levels and sleep disorders. However, it is unclear whether low serum Vitamin D levels are a contributing factor to OSA development or if OSA predisposes individuals to Vitamin D deficiency. As a result, various studies have endeavored to examine the complex relationship between OSA and Vitamin D deficiency. In children and adolescents, while data is limited, there seems also to be a link between sleep disorders and Vitamin D levels. Therefore, the objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current evidence on the association between Vitamin D and sleep disorders in both adults and children.

Vitamin D and depressive symptoms in an early adolescent cohort

BACKGROUND

To explore the cross-sectional and longitudinal association between vitamin D and depressive symptoms across early adolescence.

METHODS

This longitudinal study included 1607 early adolescents [mean (s.d.) age, 12.49 years; 972 (60.5%) males] from the Chinese Early Adolescents Cohort, recruited from a middle school in Anhui Province and followed up annually (2019-2021). Serum 25(OH)D levels were measured in both 2019 and 2021. Self-reports on depression were assessed at each of three time points from 2019 to 2021.

RESULTS

In the whole sample, higher baseline serum 25(OH)D levels were linked with a lower risk of cumulative incident depression within two-year follow-ups (adjusted RR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.94-0.99) and the increasing trajectory of depression symptoms across the three waves (adjusted RR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.95-0.99). Baseline vitamin D deficiency (VDD) (adjusted RR = 1.50, 95% CI 1.10-2.05) were associated with an increased risk for the increasing trajectory of depression symptoms across the three waves. Remitted VDD was positively related to one dichotomous depression symptoms across three waves (adjusted OR 2.15, 95% CI 1.15-4.01). The above-mentioned significant association was also found in males. Additionally, baseline VDD (adjusted OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.04-2.44) and persistent VDD (adjusted OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.02-2.60) were linked to an increased risk of having two dichotomous depression symptoms only in males.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results highlight a prospective association between baseline vitamin D and depression risk in early adolescents. Additionally, a male-specific association between vitamin D and depression risk was observed. Our findings support a potential beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation in reducing depression risk in early adolescents.

The association between early pregnancy exposure to green space and maternal glucolipid metabolism disorders: evaluation of the mediating role of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D

Green space and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) can affect maternal and infant health, but limited studies have examined their effects on disorders of maternal glucolipid metabolism. We aimed to explore the interaction between green space, maternal serum 25(OH)D, and disorders of glucolipid metabolism in early pregnancy. A total of 2551 pregnant women were recruited from the Maanshan Maternal and Child Health Hospital birth cohort in China between 2020 and 2022. We calculated average residential greenness during early pregnancy using 250 m normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) from satellites. Serum biomarkers (25(OH)D, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol(HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein A1(ApoA1), and apolipoprotein B(ApoB)) were measured. Associations between the factors were analyzed using multiple linear regression, mediation analysis, and stratified analysis. After adjusting for potential confounders, green space exposure associated with decreased TG (- 7.8%; 95% confidence interval (CI): - 12.8, - 2.9), TC (- 7.0%; 95% CI: - 11.4, - 2.7), and LDL-C (- 8.4%; 95% CI: - 12.9, - 3.9), ApoB (- 2.0%; 95% CI: - 3.0, - 1.0) and increased HDL-C (2.7%; 95% CI: 1.5, 3.8) and ApoA1 (5.1%; 95% CI: 3.9, 6.3) for each IQR increase in NDVI. A comparable link was found between maternal serum 25(OH)D and indicators of glucolipid metabolism (P < 0.05). In addition, mediation analysis showed that the association between green space exposure and maternal glucolipid metabolic index was mediated by serum 25(OH)D at 6.37%. In stratified analyses, a considerable association between 25(OH)D and glucolipid metabolic index (except TG) was observed only at higher green space exposures. This study confirms that high levels of green space exposure in early pregnancy and vitamin D are associated with a reduced risk of glucolipid metabolism disorders and suggests that green space may favor glucolipid metabolism by increasing vitamin D levels, particularly at high NDVI values.

Sleep Disorders in Pediatric Migraine: A Questionnaire-Based Study

There is a high comorbidity between migraine and sleep disorders (SD), with a mutual dependence between sleep and headache. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between headache features (migraine frequency and severity, migraine equivalents, use and efficacy of treatments) and sleep in pediatric migraine. Parents of children and adolescents with migraine completed the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale for Children and Adolescents (ESS-CHAD) and answered questions about headache characteristics. The presence of SD was defined according to CSHQ score. SD were detected in 72.9% of 140 subjects, but only 5.0% already received a diagnosis. Patients with SD presented statistically significant higher headache frequency (p = 0.031) and higher prevalence of migraine equivalents (p = 0.007). A higher CSHQ total score was associated with higher frequency of severe attacks (p = 0.012) and lower acute drug efficacy (p = 0.003). Significant positive correlations of sleep onset delay, sleep duration and nightwakings subscales with migraine frequency emerged. Our findings indicate that SD are highly prevalent in pediatric migraine and frequently associated with a higher headache severity and lower response to acute therapy, but often remain underdiagnosed. Improving sleep quality could help to reduce migraine intensity and disability and vice versa.