Relationship Between Vitamin D and Cardio-Metabolic Biomarkers Among Saudi Postmenopausal Women

Vitamin D deficiency is prevalent worldwide, and in Saudi Arabia in particular. There is growing evidence that hypovitaminosis D is involved in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. We determined concentrations of serum 25 hydroxy 25(OH) vitamin D in relation to several metabolic biomarkers including total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), atherogenic index (AI), glucose, C-reactive protein (CRP), adiposity, and blood pressure in a cross-sectional analysis in 300 Saudi postmenopausal women. Participants completed a detailed questionnaire and fasting blood samples were collected. Vitamin D deficiency was common, affecting 89% of individuals. Higher serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels were consistently found among subjects with no prevalent cardiovascular risk factors (p>0.05) except for those subjects with serum CRP level ≥3mg/dl, HDL-C <1.04mmol/L, AI≥5, exercising ≥3times/week, and those with 4 or more pregnancies. Hypovitaminosis D was inversely correlated with DBP (r=-0.118, p=0.042), TC (r=-0.165, p=0.004), TG (r=-0.119, p=0.040), LDL-C (r=-0.138, p=0.017), AI (r=-0.125, p=0.031), and veiling type (r=-0.127, p=0.028). No significant impact of hypovitaminosis D on CRP, levels of which were similar among vitamin D sufficient and deficient subjects. However, hypovitaminosis D was significantly related to dyslipidemia and diastolic blood pressure in a group of Saudi postmenopausal women

Insulin resistance in Saudi postmenopausal women with and without metabolic syndrome and its association with vitamin D deficiency

Background: There is increasing interest in the non-skeletal effects of vitamin D and the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and chronic conditions such as diabetes mellitus. We aimed to investigate the relationship between surrogate indices of insulin resistance (IR), and vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency in postmenopausal Saudi women with and without metabolic syndrome. Methods: The study population consisted of 300 postmenopausal women aged 46–88 years enrolled consecutively from women attending the Outpatient Clinics of King Abdulaziz University Hospital. Demographic, anthropometric, and biochemical parameters were recorded. Data were analyzed for women with and without metabolic syndrome. Results: Abdominal obesity, IR, and hypovitaminosis D were highly prevalent within our population sample. Of the components used to define metabolic syndrome; waist circumference, serum triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose (FBG) were significantly related with all surrogate measures of IR. Significant inverse correlations were found between serum vitamin D and serum TG, FBG, and diastolic blood pressure, within the study cohort. Conclusions: These observations suggest that hypovitaminosis D may be associated with the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Interrelationships between IR, metabolic syndrome, and hypovitaminosis D are of particular interest in Saudi population, given the high prevalence of these conditions in this region

Relationship between nutritional profile, measures of adiposity, and bone mineral density in postmenopausal Saudi women

Background: Osteoporosis remains a major health problem in all developed countries and is a condition in which several dietary factors have been implicated. Objective: To assess the nutritional status and levels of adiposity of postmenopausal women in relation to bone mineral density. Design: A cross-sectional study in which dietary intake was estimated by a food frequency questionnaire in 300 Saudi postmenopausal women aged 46-88 years. Bone profile biochemistry (serum calcium, phosphate, parathyroid hormone [PTH], vitamin D) and bone mineral density (BMD) in 3 skeletal sites were determined for all participants. Results: Overweight and obesity were highly prevalent among the study population. No significant correlation was found between dietary calcium and vitamin D and bone mass at any site. Dietary intake of calcium and vitamin D was significantly less than the recommended levels for a large proportion of the cohort. Energy-adjusted intakes of carbohydrates, fat, protein, and unsaturated fatty acids were associated with BMD in the postmenopausal women. Age, body weight, and residency type were predictors of BMD at all sites. Serum-intact PTH was a predictor of BMD at lumbar spine and femoral neck. Waist : hip ratio (WHR) was a predictor for BMD at femoral neck. Conclusions: These results suggest that BMD is influenced by dietary factors other than calcium and vitamin D. However, nondietary factors such as age, WHR, PTH, and body weight may be important determinants of BMD in postmenopausal women