Vitamin D deficiency and calcium intake in reference to increased body mass index in children and adolescents

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to several chronic diseases in adults. Studies focusing on children and adolescents, however, are limited. In this randomized cross-sectional study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its relationship with childhood obesity and dieta...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European journal of pediatrics 2012-07, Vol.171 (7), p.1081-1086
Main Authors: Al-Musharaf, Sara, Al-Othman, Abdulaziz, Al-Daghri, Nasser M., Krishnaswamy, Soundararajan, Yusuf, Deqa S., Alkharfy, Khalid M., Al-Saleh, Yousef, Al-Attas, Omar S., Alokail, Majed S., Moharram, Osama, Yakout, Sobhy, Sabico, Shaun, Chrousos, George P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Biological and medical sciences
Biomarkers - blood
Body Mass Index
Calcium - blood
Calcium, Dietary
Child
Chronic illnesses
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diet Surveys
Female
General aspects
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Metabolic diseases
Obesity
Obesity - blood
Obesity - epidemiology
Obesity - etiology
Original Article
Overweight - blood
Overweight - epidemiology
Overweight - etiology
Pediatrics
Saudi Arabia - epidemiology
Surveys and Questionnaires
Vitamin D - analogs & derivatives
Vitamin D - blood
Vitamin D Deficiency - blood
Vitamin D Deficiency - complications
Vitamin D Deficiency - diagnosis
Vitamin D Deficiency - epidemiology
Vitamin deficiency
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Summary:Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to several chronic diseases in adults. Studies focusing on children and adolescents, however, are limited. In this randomized cross-sectional study, we aimed to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and its relationship with childhood obesity and dietary calcium intake among a population of healthy urban Saudi children and adolescents. To achieve this, 331 randomly selected Saudi children (53.8% females and 46.2% males) aged 6–17 years were included. Demographic, medical, and dietary information were collected; anthropometrics were measured. Levels of serum fasting glucose, lipid profile, 25(OH) D, and for albumin corrected calcium were analyzed. Vitamin D deficiency was noted in all subjects, with girls having significantly lower vitamin D levels than boys. Mean calcium intake was found to be 60% of the required dietary allowance (RDA), while the mean vitamin D intake was 23% of RDA. Vitamin D status and calcium intake were comparable in both normal and overweight/obese children and adolescents. Vitamin D status was highest among children who had calcium intake >800 mg/day. In adolescents there was insignificant but decreasing trend in BMI, which was observed to be highest among those whose calcium intake was 800 mg/day. Conclusion: results from this study suggest the importance of vitamin D fortification and increased dietary calcium in the Saudi diet to meet RDA requirements and avoid onset of vitamin D deficiency-related diseases in Saudi children and adolescents.
ISSN:0340-6199
1432-1076
DOI:10.1007/s00431-012-1686-8