Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency, Metabolic Syndrome and Association Between the Two in a South Asian Population

Background: The etiological role of vitamin D in the metabolic syndrome among Asian Indians with good exposure to sunlight is not well understood. The objective of this was to estimate the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and vitamin D deficiency and to determine the association between vitamin D status and metabolic syndrome in an Asian Indian population from Hyderabad, India.Methods: 299 normal individuals were randomly selected, for this cross sectional study, from individuals who voluntarily participated in a health camp. Anthropometric measures were taken along with 25-hydroxyvitamin D, fasting blood glucose, complete lipid profiles were also assessed. Socio-demographic data such as sex, age, smoking status, physical activity and diet were also collected. Data was analyzed using t-tests and chi-square test of association.Results: 81.6% had 25 (OH) D deficiencies, 13.4% had insufficiency and 44% had metabolic syndrome. Females had lower levels of mean 25 (OH)D 18.33 ± 12.9 nmol/l as compared to males. 34.4% had 25 (OH)D deficiency as well as metabolic syndrome. A significant (p=0.02) association was observed between serum 25(OH)D and metabolic syndrome. Participants with 25(OH)D insufficiency had 4.6 (p-value=0.023) times higher odds of metabolic syndrome versus those with 25(OH)D >100 nmol/l, whereas those with deficiency had approximately 2 times higher odds.Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency has become a pervasive problem with implications for cardiovascular health across age and gender groups. Our research indicates that women are at a higher risk of having metabolic syndrome than men if they have deficiency or insufficiency of vitamin D. Timely translational research needs to develop the appropriate interventions to stem this.