Association between vitamin D deficiency and serum lipid levels in a group of Romanian patients

Abstract

Background and aims. Vitamin D deficiency is widespread across the globe. Numerous reports have linked vitamin D deficiency to certain non-skeletal diseases such as cardiovascular diseases. According to recent studies, there is evidence indicating a possible link between 25-hydroxyvitamin D deficiency and dyslipidemia. The main aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between vitamin D levels and lipid profile and to identify people who may benefit from vitamin D supplementation. Methods. In this observational study, a total of 154 patients were included, 98 women and 56 men, aged between 19 and 82 years, in which serum vitamin D levels, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG) and blood sugar were analyzed. Results. The serum levels of vitamin D showed some differences, being lower in patients with dyslipidemia, with a positive correlation between vitamin D levels and total cholesterol (F ratio = 7.3247, p=0.008), and also with LDL cholesterol (F ratio = 5.0023, p=0.027). The HDL-C fraction and triglycerides showed no significant correlation with the serum levels of vitamin D. Further on, we divided the patients according to the fraction that had pathological values and compared the levels of vitamin D between these categories. We observed that the lowest levels of vitamin D were present in patients with all lipid parameters modified (HIGH-TC/ LOW-HDL/HIGH-LDL/HIGH-TG), and also the highest levels of low HDL-C and high LDL-C. Conclusion. Our research provides additional evidence to the unfavorable lipid profile found in people with vitamin D deficiency.