Is vitamin D deficiency in obese youth a risk factor for less weight loss during a weight loss program?

Karolien Van De Maele,Ann De Guchtenaere,Jesse Vanbesien,Inge Gies,Monique Van Helvoirt,Jean De Schepper

doi:10.1530/ec-19-0364

Karolien Van De Maele, Ann De Guchtenaere + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1530/ec-19-0364

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Journal: Endocrine connections	Publication Date: Oct 18, 2019
Citations: 3	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Abstract

BackgroundVitamin D deficiency is common in obese adolescents and a risk factor for insulin resistance. We investigated if prevailing serum 25-OH vitamin D might predict the body fat loss in a group of obese adolescents undergoing a residential weight loss program.MethodsIn 92 (35 male) obese adolescents (aged 10.6–19 years) undergoing a residential weight loss program in Belgium, fasting serum 25-OH vitamin D (25-OH-D), insulin, glucose and lipid levels were measured and body composition was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA).ResultsBaseline median (range) serum 25-OH-D level was 17.7 µg/L (3.8–41.8). In total, 55 adolescents had a serum 25-OH-D below 20 µg/L. In 31 adolescents with a low baseline 25-OH-D level, median increase in serum 25-OH-D was 2.4 µg/L (−4.2 to 7.2) after 10 months. This resulted in normal 25-OH-D levels in seven adolescents, whereas median BMI decreased with 1.0 SDS and body fat percentage diminished with 9.9%. Obese adolescents with or without a 25-OH-D level below or above 20 µg/L at baseline had similar changes in body weight, BMI SDS, body fat percentage and body fat mass at the end of the program. The change in serum 25-OH-D did not correlate with change in serum insulin, BMI SDS or body fat percentage and body fat mass.ConclusionVitamin D deficiency was present in 55 out of 92 obese adolescents at the start of the summer. Serum 25-OH-D concentration did not predict changes in body fat loss after a residential weight loss program.

Highlights

Obese adolescents are a population known to be at risk for vitamin D deficiency, which is defined as a serum 25-OH vitamin D (25-OH-D) level below 20 μg/L according to the guidelines set by the Endocrine Society (based on the Institute Of Medicine (IOM) cut-off) [1, 2, 3]
There was no effect of age, gender or pubertal status difference on serum 25-OH vitamin D
Baseline serum 25-OH vitamin D was inversely correlated with the weight SDS (r = −0.302; P = 0.003) and BMI SDS (r = −0.305; P = 0.003), but not with body fat percentage (r = 0.043; P = 0.686)

Summary

Introduction

We investigated if prevailing serum 25-OH vitamin D might predict the body fat loss in a group of obese adolescents undergoing a residential weight loss program. Methods: In 92 (35 male) obese adolescents (aged 10.6–19 years) undergoing a residential weight loss program in Belgium, fasting serum 25-OH vitamin D (25-OH-D), insulin, glucose and lipid levels were measured and body composition was assessed by dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). In 31 adolescents with a low baseline 25-OH-D level, median increase in serum 25-OH-D was 2.4 μg/L (−4.2 to 7.2) after 10 months This resulted in normal 25-OH-D levels in seven adolescents, whereas median BMI decreased with 1.0 SDS and body fat percentage diminished with 9.9%. Obese adolescents with or without a 25-OH-D level below or above 20 μg/L at baseline had similar changes in body weight, BMI SDS, body fat percentage and body fat mass at the end of the program. Serum 25-OH-D concentration did not predict changes in body fat loss after a residential weight loss program

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