High prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among spanish obese children and adolescents

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with extra-skeletal outcomes such as, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among obese children and adolescents in Spain and to analyze the relationship between 25-OH-vitamin D (25-0H-D) levels and markers of abnormal glucose metabolism. Patients and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in which the clinical and biochemical data were recorded for 120 obese and 50 non-overweight children in Pediatric Clinics from January 2011 to January 2013. Results: The mean 25-0H-D levels among obese children was 19.5 ng/ml and among nonoverweight children was 31.6 ng/ml. 58,3% of obese subjects, and 10% of non-overweight subjects had vitamin D deficiency. Serum 25-0H-D levels were lower in winter. Higher HOMASDS (3.8 versus 2.4), and triglycerides (97 versus 81 mg/dl) were found in vitamin D deficient obese children compared to obese children without vitamin D deficiency. A negative correlation was found between 25-0H-D levels and HOMA in absolute values (r=-0.2; P=.04) that was not maintained when HOMA-SDS was analyzed. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency among obese children with a multifactorial etiology. A lower 25-0H-D level could be a risk factor for developing insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes in obese population. (C) 2013 Asociacion Espanola de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.