Relationship between usual dietary intake of vitamin D and body weight in adolescents and adults, but not in children and the elderly.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HABITUAL FOOD INTAKE OF VITAMIN D AND BODY WEIGHT IN DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS

Abstract

Objective: In addition to the importance of vitamin D for bone health, it is of great interest to elucidate its relationship with obesity. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between usual dietary intake of vitamin D and body weight in all age groups in the same population. Methods: Cross-sectional population-based epidemiological study involving 866 individuals from a municipality in northeastern Brazil. Demographic and 24-hour recall data were collected and anthropometric assessment was performed. Nutrient adequacy was estimated by adjusting the intrapersonal variance of nutrient intake. Multiple regression was applied among the studied variables. Results: In the total sample, 45.27% of participants were overweight or obese. The average usual intake of vitamin D was approximately 2µg. There was a relationship between usual dietary intake of vitamin D and body weight in the total sample (t = -2.34; p = 0.019), in the group of adolescents (t = -2.51; p = 0.012) and adults (t = -2.75; p = 0.006). For children and the elderly, these relationships were not observed. Conclusion: The relationship between normal dietary intake of vitamin D and body weight in adolescents and adults, but not in children and the elderly, suggests that in these more vulnerable age groups the metabolic pathways of vitamin D, which probably favor weight loss, are not being stimulated or active, although the consumption of children was higher and that of the elderly similar to the other groups.