Association between vitamin D and inflammatory markers in the Chinese healthy adult population: a cross-sectional study

Ye Hu; Hongxiao Li; Yi Chen; Yubei Yang; Yubo Xing; Jie Xiang; Lina Shao

doi:10.29219/fnr.v70.14141

Ye Hu Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital
Hongxiao Li chool of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, China
Yi Chen Internal Medicine Department, Pujiang Hospital, Jinhua, China
Yubei Yang Urology & Nephrology Center, Department of Urology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, China
Yubo Xing Geriatric Medicine Center, Department of Endocrinology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, China
Jie Xiang Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China
Lina Shao Urology & Nephrology Center, Department of Nephrology, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (Affiliated People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College), Hangzhou, China; and The Fourth School of Clinical Medicine, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.29219/fnr.v70.14141

Keywords: vitamin D, systemic immune-inflammation index, platelet to lymphocyte ratio, aggregate index of systemic inflammation, inflammation

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Vitamin D (VitD) plays an essential role in immune regulation, and growing evidence associates low VitD status with elevated systemic inflammation. However, large-scale, population-based evidence linking VitD status to systemic inflammatory markers in Chinese population are lacking.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between VitD levels and inflammatory markers in healthy Chinese individuals.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital (March 2019–August 2023) including a total of 51,521 participants. VitD levels were categorized according to serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations, and inflammatory markers were derived using established formulas. Primary outcome measures included the systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and aggregate index of systemic inflammation (AISI). Associations between VitD levels and inflammatory markers were assessed using Spearman’s correlation and linear regression.

Results: SII, PLR, and AISI were significantly higher among participants with VitD deficiency (P < 0.05). VitD levels were negatively correlated with SII (r = –0.063, P < 0.001), PLR (r = –0.095, P < 0.001), and AISI (r = –0.044, P < 0.001). In multivariable linear regression adjusting for age, sex, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, uric acid, glucose, albumin, alanine transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, serum creatinine, and hemoglobin, VitD deficiency remained independently associated with SII, PLR, and AISI.

Conclusion: VitD deficiency is an independent risk factor for elevated inflammatory markers, supporting a potential immunomodulatory role of VitD and highlighting the need for further research on its potential benefits in chronic disease prevention.

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