The Prevalence of Vitamin D Deficiency among Overweight and Obese Individuals


Objective: Vitamin D deficiency and obesity are widely spread and were associated with chronic diseases. The goal of our study is to evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in obese individuals and its association with the metabolic parameter. Method:A cross sectional study of individuals attending diet center located in Taif, Saudi Arabia, conducted between October 2015 and June 2016. We included those with BMI >25 and have vitamin D level. Vitamin D ≤ 20 ng/ml was considered to be deficient. Result:A total of 148 participants were enrolled with a mean age of 36 years, mainly female and married .The mean weight was 95.9 kg, mean BMI of 37.3 Kg/m2, 94.6% were obese, and the mean vitamin D level was 15.7. Compared to those who are vitamin D sufficient ,those who are deficient were more likely to have class III obesity (p 0.891), exercise <150 min per week (p 0.453), have asthma (P 0.149), have higher mean total cholesterol level (p 0.310) and higher mean fasting blood glucose (p 0.632). Partial correlation adjusting for age, gender, exercise, diabetes, and hypertension showed non-significant negative correlation between vitamin D and BMI (r -.121, p0.202), vitamin D and cholesterol (r -.039, p 0.678) and vitamin D and blood glucose (r -.122, p 0.198).Conclusion: Non-significant negative correlation was found between BMI and vitamin D level, the average vitamin D level in overweight group was 21 ng/ml while the average in obese class 3 was 15 ng/ml.

Keywords: Obesity, Vitamin D, Weight Loss, diet

Article Review Status: Published

Pages: 11-17 (Download PDF)

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