25-Hydroxyvitamin D insufficiency discriminates cardiovascular risk factors accumulation in peri-pubertal boys undergoing overweight screening

The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible association between cardiometabolic risk factors accumulation and vitamin D status in a cohort of Italian normal weight and overweight male children. 108 boys enrolled in an andrological health prevention project underwent physical examination, anthropometric measurements, and fasting blood sampling. Serum blood glucose, HDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, parathyroid hormone, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) were measured. Cardiovascular risk factors were defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III modified for age. Lean and overweight subjects differed in terms of waist circumference (P < 0.001), HDL-cholesterol (P = 0.001), triglycerides (P = 0.001), systolic blood pressure (P < 0.001) and diastolic blood pressure (P = 0.002). Both groups had similar mean 25(OH)D levels (P = 0.160) and were below the sufficiency threshold: indeed only 24 % of normal weight had 25(OH)D ≥30 ng/ml, and even less in the overweight/obese group (8 %, P = 0.03 vs. normal weight). A significant accumulation of risk factors in course of 25(OH)D insufficiency was detected in both the whole cohort and in the normal weight group (P = 0.003 and P = 0.04, respectively) with odd ratios of 1.31 (1.16–1.49 95%CI) and 1.41 (1.18–1.69 95%CI), respectively. In course of vitamin D deficiency, the odd ratios were 2.24 (1.34–3.77 95%CI, P = 0.003) in the whole cohort and 2.40 (1.27–4.82 95%CI, P = 0.03) in lean subjects. We reported a considerable occurrence of cardiovascular risk factors in course of hypovitaminosis D in overweight/obese boys and even in lean subjects, which normally would not have been further evaluated by considering the sole BMI-related parameters. In this regard, 25(OH)D levels appear as a potential discriminating parameter able to identify male children at higher health risk.