Vitamin D and its correlation with blood lipids and intima-media thickness in term infants.

Background

an association between low 25(OH)D levels and blood lipids has been identified in children, adolescents, and adults but not in the early stages of life, and a relation to carotid and aortic intima-media thickness has not been well studied and is controversial.

Objective

to identify whether 25(OH)D levels are correlated with blood lipids and aortic and carotid intima-media thickness in infants aged 3 to 9 months.

Methods

a cross-sectional study was conducted in 109 healthy term infants between the ages of 3 and 9 months. Serum vitamin D [25(OH)D], total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, non-HDL-cholesterol, and aortic and carotid intima-media thickness were measured. Feeding method, vitamin D supplementation, and sun exposure habits were recorded.

Results

only 2.8 % (n = 3) and 10.1 % (n = 14) had vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency, respectively. Infants with inadequate levels of vitamin D were younger (< 6 months) (p = 0.004), and a lower percentage of their body surface area was exposed to the sun (p = 0.006). A significant positive correlation was found between 25(OH)D levels and non-HDL-cholesterol in the infants that consumed breastmilk substitutes (rho = 0.600, p < 0.001) or were partially breastfed (rho = 0.371, p = 0.026), whereas a positive correlation was found with total cholesterol in the infants receiving breastmilk substitutes (rho = 0.618, p < 0.001). No significant correlation was found between vitamin D and aortic or carotid intima-media thickness.

Conclusions

there was a positive correlation between 25(OH)D levels and both total and non-HDL-cholesterol only in infants receiving breastmilk substitutes. The frequency of vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency was low.