title: Association between Vitamin D Deficiency and Antinuclear Antibodies in Middle-Aged and Older U.S. Adults.
abstract: Vitamin D deficiency is associated with cancer and autoimmune diseases, but little is known about the association between vitamin D and antinuclear antibodies (ANA), a biomarker of immune dysfunction in healthy populations. The objective of this study was to determine whether vitamin D deficiency is associated with ANA in middle-aged and older U.S. adults.
  
  
  
  A cross-sectional analysis using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001-2004 was conducted. Data were available for 1,012 adults aged 50 years and older. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. ANA was measured in a 1:80 dilution of sera by immunofluorescence using HEp-2 cells (seropositive = 3 or 4+).
  
  
  
  Greater vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher ANA prevalence in the unadjusted (Ptrend= 0.0002) logistic regression model and after adjustment for sex, age, education, race/ethnicity, season, and NHANES cycle (Ptrend= 0.04). After adjustment, those with severe vitamin D deficiency (<10 ng/mL) had 2.99 (95% CI, 1.25-7.15) times the odds of ANA compared with having normal vitamin D levels (≥30 ng/mL), while deficient and insufficient individuals had twice the odds of ANA.
  
  
  
  Among U.S. residents ages 50 and older, vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher prevalence of ANA. Vitamin D sufficiency may be important for preventing immune dysfunction in older populations.
  
  
  
  Our findings support the growing evidence that vitamin D is an important immune modulator. Vitamin D deficiency in older adults may increase vulnerability to cancer by contributing to immune dysfunction. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(12); 1559-63. ©2016 AACR.
authors.affiliation: Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: Helen C S
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Meier
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. sandler@niehs.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Dale P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Sandler
authors.affiliation: Longitudinal Studies Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute on Aging, NIH, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Eleanor M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Simonsick
authors.affiliation: Epidemiology Branch, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina.
authors.forename: Christine G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Parks
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000503:physiopathology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D014481:United States; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000097:blood; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency
chemical_list: D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D014807:Vitamin D; C104450:25-hydroxyvitamin D