Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is an emerging public health problem in all the age groups across the country. Many factors such as malnutrition, deficiency of vitamins, minerals and inflammation in the body are probably involved in VDD. This study was aimed at assessing the relationship of serum vitamin D (25-dihydroxyvitamin D) with antioxidant vitamins (A and E), calcium, anthropometric indicators and inflammation among 40 children aged 1-12 years (boys 24 and girls 16). Nutritional status was assessed by anthropometric z-scores. Plasma vitamins A (retinol), vitamin D and vitamin E (α– tocopherol), calcium and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations were estimated by standard procedures and their deficiency was reported using defined cut-off values. Mean (±SD) vitamin D level was 24.4±8.06 ng/ml, and 25% of children had VDD (

<20 ng/ml). Girls were found to have significantly lower vitamin D levels than boys (21.0±8.43 vs. 26.6±7.32, p=0.033). Calcium was positively correlated with Vitamin D (r=0.385, p=0.014) and its level was found to be lower in children deficient of vitamin D. Subclinical VDD was associated with thinness of children (OR=4.3, CI=0.84-22.5, p=0.068). An inverse relationship was seen with inflammatory indicator: CRP levels with subclinical VDD [p=0.039, OR=10.92 (CI 0.55-217.60)]. The percentage of children deficient in calcium, vitamin A and vitamin E were found to be high in those having VDD. Therefore it is suggested that supplementation/food fortification of vitamin D in children may help to improve calcium status as well as their nutritional status. Moreover, further studies are needed for assessing VDD and its association with other vitamins and minerals so as to plan for preventing combinational nutritional deficiencies in vulnerable sections of population>