High serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations are associated with a favorable serum lipid profile.
OBJECTIVE
Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations are related to increased mortality. One possible explanation could be an association between serum 25(OH)D and serum lipids.


METHODS
The study was performed at the University of Tromsø, Northern Norway. In total, 8018 nonsmoking and 2087 smoking subjects were included in a cross-sectional study performed in 2008, and 1762 nonsmoking and 397 smoking subjects in a longitudinal study from 1994/1995 to 2008. Nonfasting serum 25(OH)D, total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and triacylglycerol (TAG) were measured.


RESULTS
After adjustment for gender, age, sample month and body mass index in the cross-sectional study, there was a significant increase in serum TC, HDL-C and LDL-C, and a significant decrease in serum LDL-C/HDL-C ratio and TAG across increasing serum 25(OH)D quartiles. For serum HDL-C and TAG in nonsmokers the differences between the means for the highest and lowest serum 25(OH)D quartiles were 6.0 and 18.5%, respectively. In the longitudinal study, an increase in serum 25(OH)D was associated with a significant decrease in serum TAG.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a cross-sectional association between serum 25(OH)D and serum lipids, and a longitudinal association over 14 years between serum 25(OH)D and TAG, which may contribute to explain the relation between low serum 25(OH)D concentrations and mortality.
Jorde
R
R
Tromsø Endocrine Research Group, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Tromsø, Tromsø, Norway. rolf.jorde@unn.no
Figenschau
Y
Y
Hutchinson
M
M
Emaus
N
N
Grimnes
G
G
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000401:mortality
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D014807:Vitamin D; D002784:Cholesterol; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D