Vitamin D's emerging role as an integral component of metabolism is accompanied by the occurrence of risk factors for metabolic disease early in life and displays a critical conduit to which dietary intervention may facilitate improved metabolic outcomes. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of macronutrient modifications in the absence of weight loss on vitamin D status and if ΔOHD concentration would influence components of MetSyn in AA adolescent females. For those consuming a reduced carbohydrate diet, ΔOHD was inversely associated with fasting glucose and positively associated with SI. These relationships were maintained with inclusion of PTH. Clustering of metabolic parameters occurred such that glucose-related parameters in those without MetSyn, and lipid-related components in those with MetSyn were significantly associated with an interaction of diet and ΔOHD. These results provide some evidence regarding the role that vitamin D may exert on alterations in the biological response to macronutrients lending itself to further exploration.
Numerous studies in children have suggested metabolic effects of 25OHD on several markers of glucose (e.g., fasting glucose, insulin concentrations, and HOMA score) [
16–
19] and lipid metabolism (e.g., TG, HDL, and LDL) [
18,
19]. In this sample, the interaction term (diet and ΔOHD) was positively associated with lipid profile among those meeting the criteria for MetSyn. Similarly, an independent effect of vitamin D on lipid profile was suggested by a weight-loss intervention study that found vitamin D supplementation resulted in improved lipid profile in the supplementation group despite similar weight-loss in nonsupplemented group [
20]. Additionally, Al-Daghri and colleagues observed an association between total cholesterol and LDL and 25OHD which was apparent among adults with Type 2 Diabetes, but not in those without. Further, there was a reversal of MetSyn manifestations with vitamin D status correction [
21]. From a physiologic standpoint, metabolic response to diet and potential relation with vitamin D status is an area in need of further exploration. The differential impact of the interaction between macronutrient composition and ΔOHD is of particular interest in light of the lack of consensus regarding optimal 25OHD concentration as it relates to vitamin D recommendations.
It has been suggested that a reduction in carbohydrate intake requires increased insulin resistance to maintain glucose homeostasis, particularly during reproductive development [
22]. Among the SPEC diet group, glucose concentration increased to a greater extent in those with a lesser increase in 25OHD, respectively insulin sensitivity decreased to a greater extent in those with a lesser increase in 25OHD.It is plausible that vitamin D mediates the effect of reduced carbohydrate intake through its direct action on pancreatic
β-cell function [
23]. Conversely, in the STAN diet group, in which carbohydrate intake reflected that which is more typical of the adolescent population [
24], manifestations of altered 25OHD concentration were apparent in lipid parameters. LDL concentration increased to a greater extent in those with a lesser increase in 25OHD. Although cross-sectional analysis has consistently identified a favorable effect of 25OHD concentration on LDL, vitamin D's function in lipid metabolism remains uncertain. The confluence of macronutrient composition adds further complexity. The relationship observed in this study is clear, and our findings suggest that effect of dietary composition on 25OHD bioavailability warrant consideration.
Establishing the role of vitamin D in relation to MetSyn is complicated by its reciprocal association with PTH; in addition, several of the proposed predictors of MetSyn are also known to be associated with PTH. Not surprisingly, in those meeting criteria, as opposed to those not meeting the criteria for MetSyn, PTH concentrations were significantly greater at both baseline and five weeks of this study. Many [
25–
27], but not all [
28], studies report an inverse relationship between 25OHD and PTH. Moreover, AA generally present with lower 25OHD concentrations and higher PTH relative to European American counterparts [
16,
26,
29,
30]. The relationship between vitamin D and PTH is influenced by various factors during growth and development, including dietary macronutrient composition, supported by findings reported herein. Independent of the positive association with vitamin D, an inverse relationship was found between PTH and SI, only apparent in those consuming the reduced carbohydrate, specialized diet. This may be translated into independent pathways of both PTH and vitamin D in linkage with MetSyn. It has been recently reported that PTH concentration, but not 25OHD, contributed to MetSyn in obese adults [
5]. Support is provided for the postulation that influence by each of these factors diverges according to dietary composition.
This study had many strengths as well as evident limitations. Comprehensive phenotyping using robust measures of body composition is a major strength. The provision of food to each participant is an additional advantage because it ensured some degree of dietary control. Despite these strengths, it is important to evaluate certain shortcomings of this investigation. In noninstitutionalized subjects, dietary adherence is difficult to ascertain; beyond monitoring for weight change, the consumption of additional foods other than those provided cannot be certain. Also, the modest sample size and inclusion of only one racial group limits generalizability to other populations. Each participant was in the >99% BMI percentile, which may limit the ability to detect changes in outcome measures across body habitus. Finally, it is important to note that the short duration of the intervention may limit ability to identify the long-term effects of the diet on vitamin D.