The Status of Vitamin D in Obese Adults in Southern Morocco: a Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin found in two forms, sourced either from plants (D2) or animals (D3). Numerous epidemiological studies worldwide have highlighted its deficiency across diverse populations in various countries. When coupled with obesity, this deficiency becomes a significant global health concern. Our study aimed to evaluate the vitamin D levels among obese individuals in Southern Morocco. Methods: This is a retrospective, cross-sectional descriptive study on the vitamin D status in obese subjects. This study was conducted at the "Health Universe" Diet Center in Agadir, Morocco. The measurement method involved using a Tanita (R) wall-mounted metal stadiometer to determine height and a Tanita (R) BC 418 MA segmental body composition analyzer to determine weight. The serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was determined by electrochemiluminescence (ECLIA) using the Elecsys (R) and Cobas e411 (R). Results: The sample of our study, consisting of 1,210 individuals, is composed of 73.5% (n = 889) females and 26.5% (n = 321) males. The mean age of the entire sample is 42.3 +/- 13.1 years (ranging from 18 to 86 years). The mean BMI is 37 +/- 5.69 kg/m(2), with a higher value in females (37.4 +/- 5.85 kg/m2) compared to males (35.7 +/- 5.03 kg/m(2)), including 42.8% moderate obesity, 34.2% severe obesity, and 23% morbid obesity. The mean serum vitamin D level in our sample is 15.7 +/- 7.67 ng/mL. This level is 14.5 +/- 7.42 ng/mL for females and 19.2 +/- 7.31 ng/mL for males. However, only 5.3% of the subjects have an adequate serum vitamin D level, while 18% have an insufficiency, 52.5% have a moderate deficiency, and 24.2% have a severe deficiency. An inverse trend was noted for BMI, which shows a very significant inverse correlation with serum vitamin D concentration (r =-0.18 and p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that obesity is inversely associated with low vitamin D levels. Lifestyle improvement should be considered as the primary treatment option, aiming to enhance the dysmetabolic state associated with obesity and vitamin D deficiency.