Vitamin D Status among Women in a Rural District of Nepal: Determinants and Association with Metabolic Profile-A Population-Based Study

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 14; no. 11; p. 2309
• Main Authors: Yogal, Chandra, Borgen, Marianne, Shakya, Sunila, Karmarcharya, Biraj, Koju, Rajendra, Mosti, Mats P, Gustafsson, Miriam K, Åsvold, Bjørn Olav, Schei, Berit, Stunes, Astrid Kamilla, Syversen, Unni
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 31.05.2022; MDPI
• Subjects: Assurance services; Blood pressure; Body mass index; Calciferol; Calcium homeostasis; Cholesterol; Complications and side effects; Data collection; Demographic aspects; Diabetes; Dyslipidemia; Dyslipidemias; Eggs; Female; Females; Food and nutrition; Glycated Hemoglobin - analysis; Health aspects; High density lipoprotein; Homeostasis; Hospitals; Humans; Laboratories; Lipid metabolism; Lipids; Low density lipoprotein; Medical research; Metabolic disorders; metabolic profile; Metabolic syndrome; Metabolome; milk intake; Nepal - epidemiology; Nutrient deficiency; Population; Population studies; Population-based studies; Prevalence; Quality control; Regression analysis; Rickets; Risk factors; Risk reduction; rural Nepal; Rural women; Statistics; Triglycerides; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - analysis; Vitamin D deficiency; Vitamin D Deficiency - epidemiology; Vitamin deficiency; Vitamins; women; Womens health; Nepal; United States > US; Germany; rural Nepal; milk intake; vitamin D deficiency; metabolic profile; women
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu14112309

Hypovitaminosis D is prevalent worldwide, and especially in South-Asia. According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), 25(OH)D levels below 30 nmol/L are defined as vitamin D deficiency (VDD) and levels between 30−50 nmol/L as insufficiency (VDI). Besides its role in calcium homeostasis, it has been postulated that vitamin D is involved in metabolic syndrome. Given the scarcity of data on vitamin D status in Nepal, we aimed to examine the prevalence of VDD and VDI, as well as the determinants and association with metabolic parameters (lipids, HbA1c), in a cohort of women in rural Nepal. Altogether, 733 women 48.5 ± 11.7 years of age were included. VDD and VDI were observed in 6.3 and 42.4% of the participants, respectively, and the prevalence increased by age. Women reporting intake of milk and eggs > 2 times weekly had higher 25(OH)D levels than those reporting intake < 2 times weekly. Women with vitamin D levels < 50 nmol/L displayed higher levels of cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and HbA1c. Additionally, a regression analysis showed a significant association between hypovitaminosis D, dyslipidemia, and HbA1c elevation. In conclusion, VDI was prevalent and increased with age. Milk and egg intake > 2 times weekly seemed to decrease the risk of VDI. Moreover, hypovitaminosis D was associated with an adverse metabolic profile.