Low vitamin D tied to worse lipid profiles

Vitamin D blood levels are linked with changes in total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride concentrations, but not with variations in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), a recent study has shown.

The study included three cohorts, each divided into two subgroups defined by either an increase (group 1) or decrease (group 2) of ≥10 ng/mL in vitamin D levels. Cumulatively, all three study cohorts totalled 13,989 unique participants followed for 18,886 person-years.

Across all three cohorts, group 1 participants had consistently lower levels of TC than group 2 comparators. The between-group absolute difference values ranged from 10.71–12.02 mg/dL, all of which were statistically significant (p<0.001). Adjusting for covariates such as age, sex, smoking, blood pressure, and baseline vitamin D and lipid levels did not meaningfully alter the principal findings.

The same pattern was reported for LDL-C and TG levels, with group 1 participants showing consistently lower levels than group 2 comparators across all three cohorts. The corresponding differences were 7.42–8.59 mg/dL and 21.59–28.09 mg/dL and were significant in both adjusted and unadjusted analyses.

Notably, no such effect was observed for HDL-C, with only minimal differences between groups 1 and 2. The difference in average change in HDL-C concentration was also significant only in cohort 2 but was eventually attenuated after covariate adjustments.

“In this study of three large cohorts of working-age adults, we found consistent associations between changes in vitamin D levels and changes in lipid levels,” the researchers said. “Our findings support [the idea] that reductions in vitamin D levels are associated with worsening lipid profiles.”