The Association Between Serum Vitamin D Levels and Abnormal Lipid Profile in Pediatrics: A Grade-Assessed Systematic Review and Dose–Response Meta-Analysis of Epidemiologic Studies Publisher Pubmed



Hajhashemy Z^{1, 2} ; Tirani SA^{1, 2} ; Askari G² ; Saneei P^{2, 3} Show Affiliations
Source: Nutrition Reviews Published:2025

Abstract

Context: Several studies have investigated the relationship between serum vitamin D and dyslipidemia in children and adolescents, but the findings have been contradictory. Objective: The current systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis investigated the serum vitamin D – dyslipidemia relationship in children and adolescents. Data Sources: ISI Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE databases, and Google Scholar, were searched up to December 2022. Data Extraction: Observational studies that investigated the odds of dyslipidemia in categories of serum vitamin D levels in children were included, and their data were extracted. Data Analysis: Pooling of 17 effect sizes from 15 studies (39 342 participants) showed that subjects with higher serum vitamin D had 27% lower odds of hypertriglyceridemia (odds ratio [OR] ¼ 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.60, 0.88). A meta-analysis of 18 effect sizes from 16 studies (39 718 participants) illustrated that highest vs lowest serum vitamin D was related to 22% lower odds of low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) (OR ¼ 0.78; 95% CI: 0.66, 0.91). Also, a nonlinear association between serum vitamin D and odds of abnormal lipid profile was found: elevating values of 25-hydroxyvitamin D from 35 nmol/L to 55 nmol/L was associated with a decreasing trend in odds of hypertriglyceridemia, hyper low-density lipoprotein cholesterolemia, hypercholesterolemia, and hypo HDL-cholesterolemia. However, no significant linear association was observed. Based on the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE), the certainty of all evidence was rated as high. Conclusion: This meta-analysis revealed that the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D was inversely related to odds of abnormal serum triglycerides and HDL-c in children and adolescents. Increasing serum vitamin D from 35 nmol/L to 55 nmol/L was associated with a decreasing trend in the odds of abnormal serum triglycerides, HDL-c, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol in children. Systematic Review Registration: PROSPERO registration no. 42023400787. © The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Life Sciences Institute. All rights reserved.