The relationship of vitamin D with non-traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease in subjects with metabolic syndrome
Archives of Medical Science, 07/12/2012  Clinical Article

Makariou S et al. – Subjects with metabolic syndrome (MetS) exhibit lower 25(OH)Vit D serum levels compared with non–MetS individuals. Low 25(OH)Vit D is associated with higher small dense low–density lipoprotein cholesterol (sdLDL–C) levels possibly through elevated triglycerides. No association between 25(OH)Vit D and lipoprotein–associated phospholipase A2 (Lp–PLA2) or high–sensitivity C–reactive protein (hsCRP) was found.

• The authors studied 110 consecutive otherwise healthy individuals.
• Of these, 52 were diagnosed with MetS and 58 who did not meet the MetS criteria served as controls.
• Low–density lipoprotein (LDL) subclass analysis was performed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
• Lp–PLA2 activity was determined in total plasma by the trichloroacetic acid precipitation procedure.
• Serum 25(OH)Vit D was determined quantitatively by an enzyme immunoassay method.

• Metabolic syndrome subjects had significantly lower 25(OH)Vit D levels (11.8 [0.6–48.3] ng/ml; 29.5 [1.5–120.75] nmol/l) compared with controls (17.2 [4.8–62.4] ng/ml; 43 [12–156] nmol/l, p = 0.027).
• Univariate regression analysis showed that 25(OH)Vit D concentration was inversely related to triglycerides (r = –0.416, p = 0.003) and sdLDL–C (r = –0.305, p = 0.004).
• There was no association of 25(OH)Vit D with waist circumference, blood pressure, high–density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL–C), fasting glucose, Lp–PLA2 and hsCRP.
• In multivariate regression analysis the relationship between 25(OH)Vit D and sdLDL–C became insignificant when triglycerides were included in the model.