Effect of gender, season, and vitamin D status on bone biochemical markers in Saudi diabetes patients

Celiac disease and severe vitamin D deficiency: the case for anti-tissue transglutaminase antibody screening

Vitamin D-deficient Saudi adolescent girls were screened for anti-tissue transglutaminase (IgA-tTG) antibodies to determine whether the presence of severe vitamin D deficiency was associated with celiac disease. All 9 participants who were positive for IgA-tTG antibodies had severe vitamin D deficiency (25(OH)D < 12.5 nmol/l), suggesting that this population should be screened for celiac disease.

PURPOSE

The current cross-sectional study aimed to see if severe vitamin D deficiency is associated with celiac disease (CD) among Saudi adolescent girls.

METHODS

A total 200 adolescent females aged 13-19 years old with vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/l) were screened for IgA tTG (anti-tissue transglutaminase antibodies).

RESULTS

Of the 200 girls, 9 (4.5%) were positive for IgA tTG antibodies; all of whom had serum 25(OH)D < 12.5 nmol/l. A strong significant inverse association was observed between tTG antibody levels and serum 25(OH)D (R = - 0.53; p < 0.001) among antibody negative participants. Finally, participants with positive IgA tTG antibodies was 37.2 times higher for participants with 25(OH)D < 12.5 nmol/l than those whose vitamin D status was higher [OR = 37.2 (95% CI 4.6-299.7) (p = 0.0002)].

CONCLUSION

The data suggests that CD maybe a risk factor for severe vitamin D deficiency and that patients presenting with very low levels of 25(OH)D of less than 12.5 nmol/l-in the absence of an obvious cause-may need to be screened for CD.

Fat Mass Is Associated with Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentration Regardless of Body Size in Men

There are no large community-based studies examining the association of body size vs. body fat with vitamin D status. Association of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) with body weight and subcategories of body weight defined by fat mass were evaluated in a large, free living population. Out of a total of 29,235 subjects from the 2008–2010 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the relevant data included 6458 subjects over 50 years of age who were analyzed cross-sectionally. Serum 25OHD concentrations were compared in men (n = 3164) and in women (n = 3294) by tertiles of body weight and body fat mass, as measured by Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DXA) within sex-specific tertiles of body weight. Serum 25OHD was weakly inversely correlated with body weight in the men and the women after adjustment for age (r = −0.075 and −0.073, respectively, p < 0.001 for both). Within each tertile of body weight, serum 25OHD decreased progressively as fat mass increased in men. This pattern was similar in the women but not consistently significant. Whereas body weight predicted a small decrease in serum 25OHD in the men and the women, greater adiposity, for any given weight, predicted larger decreases in the men, but not consistently in women.

Nationality, Gender, Age, and Body Mass Index Influences on Vitamin D Concentration among Elderly Patients and Young Iraqi and Jordanian in Jordan

Vitamin D is necessary for maintaining and regulating calcium levels; thus, insufficiency of vitamin D increases the risk of many chronic diseases. This study aimed to examine vitamin D levels among Jordanian and Iraqi volunteers and find the relation between vitamin D level and lipid profile patients. Vitamin D levels were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. For young healthy group subjects, vitamin D levels were 20.60 ± 5.94 ng/mL for Jordanian and 27.59 ± 7.74 ng/mL for Iraqi. Vitamin D concentrations for young males and females were 25.82 ± 8.33 ng/mL and 21.95 ± 6.39 ng/mL, respectively. Females wearing hijab were 20.87 ± 6.45 ng/mL, while uncovered females were 23.55 ± 6.04 ng/mL. For >40 years Iraqi subjects, vitamin D level for healthy was 29.78 ± 9.49 ng/mL and 23.88 ± 7.93 ng/mL for hyperlipidemic subjects. Vitamin D levels for overweight and obese healthy groups were significantly higher (P < 0.050) than those for the hyperlipidemic patients groups. Vitamin D levels for males were significantly higher than females and were significantly higher for healthy than those hyperlipidemic Iraqi patients. These findings showed that vitamin D levels are affected by age, nationality, gender, and health statues and highlight the importance of vitamin D supplementation for groups with low levels particularly old, hijab wearing females, and hyperlipidemic groups.

Vitamin D deficiency and airflow limitation in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Ageing

BACKGROUND

Vitamin D deficiency is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has also been linked to comorbidities often present in COPD.

AIM

The aim of this study was to investigate whether vitamin D deficiency was related specifically to airflow limitation or whether vitamin D deficiency was determined by conditions that frequently coexist with COPD: insulin resistance, hypertension, anaemia, obesity and hypercholesterolaemia.

METHODS

For this cross-sectional analysis, we included 897 subjects from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Subjects taking vitamin D supplements were excluded. Airflow limitation was defined as FEV1 /FVC < lower limit of normal. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between vitamin D deficiency (25-hydroxy vitamin D < 20 ng/mL) and possible determinants.

RESULTS

Vitamin D deficiency was not specific for subjects with airflow limitation. Body mass index (BMI) (OR: 1.05, P < 0.03) and obesity (BMI > 30 kg/m(2)) (OR: 1.9, P < 0.002) were significantly associated with vitamin D deficiency in the adjusted multivariate regression analysis. Physical activity was associated with a decreased risk of vitamin D deficiency.

CONCLUSIONS

Airflow limitation was not an independent determinant of vitamin D deficiency. The effect of weight loss and increased physical activity on vitamin D levels should be investigated further in intervention studies.