A comprehensive look into the association of vitamin D levels and vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism with obesity in children

Abstract

Childhood obesity accounts for several psychosocial and clinical consequences. Psychosocial consequences include lower self-esteem, social isolation, poor academic achievement, peer problems, and depression, whereas clinical consequences are cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, cancer, autoimmune diseases, girls early polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), asthma, bone deformities, etc. A growing number of studies have uncovered the association of childhood obesity and its consequences with vitamin-D (vit-D) deficiency and vitamin-D receptor (VDR) gene polymorphisms such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), e.g., TaqI, BsmI, ApaI, FokI, and Cdx2. Considering the impact of vit-D deficiency and VDR gene polymorphisms, identifying associated factors and risk groups linked to lower serum vit-D levels and prevention of obesity-related syndromes in children is of utmost importance. Previously published review articles mainly focused on the association of vit-D deficiency with obesity or other non-communicable diseases in children. The nature of the correlation between vit-D deficiency and VDR gene polymorphisms with obesity in children is yet to be clarified. Therefore, this review attempts to delineate the association of obesity with these two factors by identifying the molecular mechanism of the relationship.