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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #210439
Title: Reduced Sun Exposure Does Not Explain the Inverse Association of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D with Percent Body Fat in Older Adults

Author
item HARRIS, SUSAN - TUFTS/HNRCA
item Dawson-Hughes, Bess

Submitted to: American Society for Bone and Mineral Research
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2007
Publication Date: 10/1/2007
Citation: Harris, S.S., Dawson-Hughes, B. 2007. Reduced Sun Exposure Does Not Explain the Inverse Association of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D with Percent Body Fat in Older Adults. In: The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Annual Meeting, 9/16/07-9/19/07. Honolulu, Hawaii.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Greater adiposity is associated with lower blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D]. The extent to which this may result from reduced sun exposure among heavier individuals is unknown. This analysis was conducted to determine whether sun exposure habits differ according to percent body fat (%FAT) in older adults and to what extent they explain the inverse association of adiposity with 25(OH)D in that population. The 381 subjects were participants in the baseline visit of a randomized trial of calcium and vitamin D supplementation to prevent bone loss. Sunscreen use, hours per week spent outside and percent of skin exposed did not differ across quartiles of %FAT. 25(OH)D was about 20% lower in the highest compared with the lowest quartile of %FAT after adjustments for age, sex, season and vitamin D intake. Further adjustment for sun exposure habits had little effect on estimates of 25(OH)D, suggesting that differences in sun exposure habits do not explain lower 25(OH)D concentration with increasing adiposity.