Monday, May 18, 2009

Low vitamin D may boost metabolic syndrome

Insufficient and deficient levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome by 52 per cent, according to findings published in Diabetes Care. A study with 3,262 Chinese people aged between 50 and 70 showed that 94 per cent were vitamin D deficient or insufficient, and 42 per cent of these people also had metabolic syndrome.

While the study was conducted in elderly Chinese people, Dr Franco said the results are consistent with the findings of other studies in Western populations. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a condition characterized by central obesity, hypertension, and disturbed glucose and insulin metabolism. The syndrome has been linked to increased risks of both type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Vitamin D levels were calculated using serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the non-active 'storage' form of the vitamin in the body. Subjects with the lowest average 25(OH)D levels were 52 per cent more likely to have metabolic syndrome than people with the highest average 25(OH)D levels.

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