Vitamin D May Be Associated with Higher Serum HDL Cholesterol and Lower Incidence of Metabolic Syndrome

Written by Susan Sweeny Johnson, PhD. In this study of 257 adult men and women,  those with higher Vitamin D levels also had elevated HDL cholesterol and decreased waist circumference thus demonstrating that higher Vitamin D levels may help reduce metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome describes a state of poor health commonly associated with obesity and poor diet. The International Diabetes Federation (2006) (1) defines metabolic syndrome as elevated waist measurement and two of the following: elevated serum triglycerides, reduced HDL cholesterol, elevated blood pressure or elevated fasting glucose.

Previous population studies have shown an inverse correlation between serum vitamin D and metabolic syndrome markers (2-5). Now a new study examines a population that has a higher rate of vitamin D supplementation compared to the general population and therefore, higher serum vitamin D levels – the majority being in the sufficient range. The amount of supplementation with vitamin D* (600 -1100 IU/day) by each participant, as reported in a questionnaire, correlated strongly with serum 25(OH)D levels (p<0.001)**. Sun exposure and dietary vitamin D did not significantly correlate with serum 25(OH)D levels suggesting that these sources were insignificant compared to supplementation.

Fasting blood samples from 257 adult men and women attending a supplement convention were assessed for 25(OH)D levels and the population divided equally into three tertiles (groups):

  • Group 1: Low Levels, <35ng/ml of 25(OH)D
  • Group 2: Medium Levels, 35-45 ng/ml of 25(OH)D
  • Group 3: High Levels, 45ng/ml of 25(OH)D

Each participant was then tested for the markers of metabolic syndrome. Higher HDL cholesterol levels, lower waist circumferences, and lower Body Mass Indices (BMIs) were strongly correlated (p<0.001) with higher serum 25(OH)D levels. Specifically, HDL cholesterol rose from 48.4 + 1.8 mg/dL with an intake of 632.3 + 60.9 IU/day Vitamin D to 62.3 + 2.1 mg/dL at 1019.4 + 77.1 IU//day vitamin D. Because of the strong correlation between serum vitamin D status and both HDL cholesterol and waist circumference, metabolic syndrome was significantly reduced with vitamin D status (p=0.003).

Lower fasting serum glucose was marginally associated with higher serum 25(OH)D levels although not as strongly (p=0.059). Interestingly blood pressure and physical activity were not significantly associated with vitamin D levels.

These results suggest further exploration of a possible cause and effect relationship between vitamin D supplementation and the presence of metabolic syndrome.

Risk factors for metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and elevated blood lipid levels, can increase a person’s healthcare costs nearly 1.6-fold, or about $2,000 per year. For each risk factor those costs rise an average of 24%.(6)Based on the National Health Statistics Report 2003-2006, a little more than one-third of the adults in the United States could be characterized as having metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome increased with age but increased even more dramatically as BMI increased. (7)

*No discussion of the type of vitamin D (D2 or D3) was included.
** p values are a measure of the significance of the data, p < 0.05 is considered significant.

Source: Maki, Kevin C., et al. “Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D is independently associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the metabolic syndrome in men and women.” Journal of Clinical Lipidology 3.4 (2009): 289-296.

© 2009 National Lipid Association

Posted January 18, 2010.

References:

  1. See the Metabolic Syndrome Institute website.
  2. Dobnig H, Pilz S, Scharnagl H, et al. Independent association of low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin d levels with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1340–1349.
  3. Giovannucci E, Liu Y, Hollis BW, Rimm EB. 25-hydroxyvitamin D and risk of myocardial infarction in men: a prospective study. ArchIntern Med. 2008;168:1174–1180.
  4. Martini LA, Wood RJ. Vitamin D status and the metabolic syndrome.Nutr Rev. 2006;64:479–486.
  5. Botella-Carretero JI, Alvarez-Blasco F,Villafruela JJ,Balsa JA,Va´zquezC, Escobar-Morreale HF. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with the metabolic syndrome in morbid obesity. Clin Nutr. 2007;26:573–580.
  6. See the Press Release Distribution website.
  7. See the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

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