1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and cardiometabolic risk in healthy sedentary adults: The FIT-AGEING study

Background: A growing body of scientific works investigating the physio-pathological mechanisms behind cardiovascular disease has suggested that vitamin D deficiency could play a key role on its development. However, it remains unclear whether its active form (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D [1,25(OH)(2)D] is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in healthy individuals. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships of 1,25(OH)(2)D plasma levels with cardiometabolic risk factors in a sample of healthy sedentary adults. Methods: A total of 73 adults (similar to 53% women; 54 +/- 5 years old) were included in the current cross-sectional study. A sex-specific cardiometabolic risk score (MetScore) was calculated for each subject based on clinical parameters (i.e., waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, plasma glucose, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides) according to the International Diabetes Federation's clinical criteria. Plasma levels of 1,25(OH)(2)D were measured using a DiaSorin Liaison (R) immunochemiluminometric analyzer. Results: No significant association was detected between 1,25(OH)(2)D and MetScore (beta = 0.037, R-2 = 0.001, p = 0.77), independently of age, sex and fat body mass index. A significant inverse association were observed between 1,25(OH)(2)D and waist circumference (beta = -0,303, R-2 = 0.092, p = 0.01). These results were consistent after controlling by potential confounders. Conclusion: In summary, the present results suggest that 1,25(OH)(2)D plasma levels are not associated with either cardiometabolic risk factors or insulin resistance in healthy sedentary adults. However, an inverse association of 1,25(OH)(2)D plasma levels with central adiposity was observed in our study sample.