[Levels of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and E and their influencing factors in children with obesity].

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the levels of fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and E in children with obesity and their influencing factors.

METHODS

A total of 273 children with obesity who attended the Department of Clinical Nutrition, Xi'an Children's Hospital, from January 2019 to April 2021 were enrolled as the obesity group. A total of 226 children with normal body weight who underwent physical examination during the same period were enrolled as the control group. Anthropometric parameters and body composition were measured for both groups, and the serum concentrations of vitamins A, D, and E were also measured.

RESULTS

Compared with the control group, the obesity group had significantly higher serum levels of vitamin A [(1.32±0.21) μmol/L vs (1.16±0.21) μmol/L, <0.001] and vitamin E [(9.3±1.4) mg/L vs (8.3±1.2) mg/L, <0.001] and a significant reduction in the level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [(49±22) nmol/L vs (62±24) nmol/L, <0.001]. In the obesity group, the prevalence rates of marginal vitamin A deficiency, vitamin D deficiency/insufficiency, and vitamin E insufficiency were 5.5% (15/273), 56.8% (155/273), and 4.0% (11/273), respectively. After adjustment for body mass index Z-score and waist-to-height ratio, serum vitamin A level was positively correlated with age (<0.001), while vitamins E and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were negatively correlated with age in children with obesity (<0.001). After adjustment for age, the serum levels of vitamin A, vitamin E and 25-hydroxyvitamin D were not correlated with degree of obesity, percentage of body fat, and duration of obesity in children with obesity, while the serum levels of vitamins A and E were positively correlated with waist-to-height ratio (<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

There are higher serum levels of vitamins A and E in children with obesity, especially in those with abdominal obesity, while serum vitamin D nutritional status is poor and worsens with age. Therefore, vitamin D nutritional status should be taken seriously for children with obesity, and vitamin D supplementation should be performed when necessary.