Is there a benefit of vitamin D supplementation in deficient children and adolescents suffering from obesity? A meta-analysis

Abstract

Abstract Background and objectives Both childhood obesity and vitamin D deficiency are common in the Middle East. This systematic review/meta-analysis aims to highlight the effect of vitamin D supplementation in deficient children suffering from obesity. Methods Published clinical studies on vitamin D supplementation in obese children and adolescents with vitamin D deficiency were identified through a comprehensive MEDLINE/PubMed search (from July 1966 to November 2017). Outcomes intended after vitamin D supplementation were improvements in vitamin D status, BMI alterations and appetite changes. The inclusion criteria were children aged 2 to 18 years of both sexes in clinical trials that specified the oral and/or intramuscular dose of vitamin D supplementation. Results Ten studies were retrieved, but only six were relevant. First, supplemented obese children and adolescents were compared to non-obese controls; thereafter, supplemented obese children and adolescents were compared to matching obese peers given placebo. Pooled risks from the two studies that evaluated the number of obese and non-obese children and adolescents who improved upon vitamin D supplementation revealed that obesity poses a risk for not benefiting from the vitamin D supplementation regardless of the dose and the duration of supplementation. Pooled results from the six retrieved studies that compared supplemented obese children and adolescents to matching non-obese or obese peers given placebo revealed significantly lower vitamin D levels in obese participants than in non-obese peers. Conclusion Vitamin D levels are significantly lower in obese children and adolescents with obesity, posing a risk for not benefiting from vitamin D supplementation regardless of the dose and duration of supplementation. Our results suggest that only with simultaneous weight adjustment strategies, vitamin D sufficiency would be achieved more effectively. Vitamin D supplementation in deficient children suffering from obesity.