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Low Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D Level Does Not Adversely Affect Bone Turnover in Prepubertal Children
Wojciech J Bilinski1, Lukasz Szternel2, Joanna Siodmiak2
1Department of Orthopaedics, KoMed, Poddebice Health Center, 85067 Poddebice, Poland.
Insights
Low vitamin D levels in children do not negatively impact bone turnover markers. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D may not be a reliable predictor of bone health in this age group.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Bone Metabolism
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Vitamin D and IGF-1 are crucial for bone health during childhood.
- Understanding their interaction is key to assessing bone accrual in prepubertal children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and bone turnover markers.
- To examine the interplay of 25(OH)D and IGF-1 in relation to bone turnover in children.
Main Methods:
- Serum levels of 25(OH)D, IGF-1, P1NP, and CTX-1 were measured in 128 healthy children (9-11 years).
- The bone turnover index (BTI) was calculated.
- Participants were stratified based on 25(OH)D levels.
Main Results:
- 30.5% of children had low 25(OH)D (<20 ng/mL).
- Low 25(OH)D showed a trend towards higher P1NP and IGF-1, with the highest P1NP in the lowest 25(OH)D tertile.
- 25(OH)D negatively correlated with IGF-1, while IGF-1 positively correlated with P1NP and BTI.
Conclusions:
- Low serum 25(OH)D levels do not appear to adversely affect bone turnover in children.
- Serum 25(OH)D may not be a sufficient predictor of bone turnover in pediatric populations.
Abstract:
Both vitamin D and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) play essential roles in bone metabolism and may interact during prepubertal bone accrual. We investigated the association of low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) (<20 ng/mL) with the circulating bone turnover markers, when compared to their interaction with IGF-1.
Subjects And Methods:
Serum 25(OH)D, IGF-I, P1NP (N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen), and CTX-1 (C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen) were measured, and the bone turnover index (BTI) was calculated in 128 healthy children, aged 9-11 years.
Results:
Mean 25(OH)D concentration was 21.9 ± 4.9 ng/mL, but in 30.5% of participants it was <20 ng/mL (<50 nmol/L). We observed a trend for higher P1NP (p < 0.05) and IGF-1 (p = 0.08), towards lower 25(OH)D in tertiles. Levels of P1NP in the lowest 25(OH)D tertile (<20 ng/mL) were the highest, while CTX and BTI remained unchanged. Additionally, 25(OH)D negatively correlated with IGF-1, while the correlation with P1NP was not significant. A strong positive correlation of IGF-1 with P1NP and BTI but weak with CTX was observed. Low 25(OH)D (<20 ng/mL) explained 15% of the IGF-1 variance and 6% of the P1NP variance.
Conclusions:
Low levels of 25(OH)D do not unfavorably alter bone turnover. It seems that serum 25(OH)D level may not be an adequate predictor of bone turnover in children.
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