Association Between Decreased Serum Vitamin D Level and Dyslipidemia: A Cross-Sectional Study in Southern Taiwan

Previous studies revealed an inconclusive association between dyslipidemia and decreased vitamin D levels. This study aims to investigate the association between dyslipidemia parameters and decreased serum vitamin D levels among the southern Taiwanese population during a health examination.

A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted from January 2020 to December 2020, enrolling 2430 subjects in a southern Taiwanese medical center. We performed logistic regression to examine the association between lipid profiles and vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency.

The prevalence of vitamin D sufficiency was higher in males (65.9%). Compared to individuals with total cholesterol (TC) < 200 mg/dL, those with TC ≥ 200 mg/dL exhibited vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency (OR, 1.46; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.10-1.94) after adjustment for age, gender, waist circumference (WC), fasting blood glucose, and uric acid levels. Compared to triglyceride (TG) levels of <150 mg/dL, TG levels ≥ 150 mg/dL had a higher association with vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency (OR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.17-1.86) after adjustment for the same covariates. Post-gender stratification, we found female individuals with TC ≥ 200 mg/dL had a significantly higher association with vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.36-3.27), whereas TG ≥ 150 mg/dL in males exhibited a significantly higher association with vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency (OR, 1.70; 95% CI, 1.29-2.24) after adjustment for the same covariates.

The study revealed a negative association between decreased serum vitamin D levels and TC and TG levels. However, no significant association was observed with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C). Further studies are needed to understand the mechanism.