Interplay of vitamin D and metabolic syndrome: A review

Vitamin D deficiency is a worldwide public health problem. Vitamin D deficiency plays key role in the pathophysiology of risk factors of metabolic syndrome which affect cardiovascular system, increase insulin resistance and obesity, stimulate rennin-angiotensin-aldosterone system that cause hypertension. The discovery of vitamin D receptor expressed ubiquitously in almost all body cells such as immune, vascular and myocardial cells, pancreatic beta cells, neurons and osteoblasts suggests an involvement of vitamin D mediated effects on metabolic syndrome. Moreover vitamin D deficiency as well as cardiovascular diseases and related risk factors frequently co-occur. This underlines the importance of understanding the role of vitamin D in the context of metabolic syndrome. The paper provides an insight into the physiology of vitamin D and relationship of vitamin D deficiency with risk factors of metabolic syndrome through observational and supplementation studies.