Vitamin D in overweight/obese women and its relationship with dietetic and anthropometric variables

Abstract

Overweight/obese persons usually have an inadequate vitamin D status, a situation commonly made worse by an inadequate intake of this vitamin. For this reason, the aim of this study was to analyze dietetic and anthropometric differences in a group of young, overweight/obese Spanish women with respect to their vitamin D status. The study subjects were 66 white Spanish women (aged 20-35 years) with a BMI of 24-35 kg/m(2). Dietetic, anthropometric, and biochemical data were collected. Women were divided into two groups depending on their serum vitamin D concentrations: LD (women with <90 nmol/l 25(OH)D) and HD (women with >or=90 nmol/l 25(OH)D). The intakes of vitamin D, calcium, and supplements were similar in both groups. The body weight, BMI, and waist circumference of the HD subjects were smaller than those recorded for the LD subjects (68.6 +/- 4.2 kg, 26.0 +/- 1.3 kg/m(2), and 79.4 +/- 3.4 cm compared to 76.2 +/- 9.8, 28.6 +/- 3.2 kg/m(2), and 86.2 +/- 9.3 cm, respectively; P < 0.05). The hip circumference and the waist/hip ratio were similar in both groups. A BMI of <27.7 kg/m(2) (P50) was associated with serum vitamin D concentrations of >or=90 nmol/l (odds ratio = 0.1313; confidence interval: 0.0149-1.1599; P < 0.05). Overweight/obese women are at higher risk of vitamin D deficiency, largely due to excess adiposity rather than inadequate intake.