Evaluation of relationship between vitamin D and lipid levels with insulin resistance in adults

Introduction and Objectives: Insulin resistance and dyslipidemia are the leading causes of cardiovascular mortality in the world. Obesity, cigarette smoking, and sedentary life, together with the problems of our time, cause serious health problems in the societies at risk. On the other hand, it is known that all these risk factors can be taken under control. Studies show the relationship between dyslipidemia and insulin resistance at the cellular level, and clinical trials support this. Vitamin D deficiency has become an important and common health problem for our country. Vitamin D is an important study topic because of the new receptor tissues discovered in recent years and possible associated diseases. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between insulin resistance, considered as a pioneer for Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM); Atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), considered to be a cardiovascular risk predictor, which reflects the ratio of plasma triglyceride (TG) to HDL-C (high density lipoprotein cholesterol) and the vitamin D levels. Material and Method: Our study was conducted retrospectively in Ankara Atatürk Training and Research Hospital Family Medicine Clinics between 01/06/2016 and 01/06/2017, with the records of patients who were evaluated for serum 25(OH)D₃, insulin, glucose and lipid panel during admission. It is a cross-sectional study. 738 patients aged 18-65 years who did not have chronic disease, who were not pregnant, and who did not use regular medication were included in the study. HOMA-IR was used to determine insulin resistance and Log₁₀ (TG/HDL-K) formulation to calculate the AIP. In the evaluation of the data, 21.0 version of SPSS program was used. Descriptive statistics were applied and the level of statistical significance was accepted as p <0.05. Results: 533 of the individuals involved in the study are female and 205 are male. There was a significant difference between insulin resistance and vitamin D levels (p = 0.031). There was no statistically significant difference found between insulin resistance and AIP mean ratios but mathematical difference was observed and likewise, there was no statistically significant difference found between vitamin D levels and AIP mean ratios but mathematical difference was observed. Conclusion: Current studies indicate that vitamin D may delay the transition from the prediabetic period to T2DM and help with glycemic control in T2DM patients, suggesting that vitamin D is protective against atherosclerosis. On the other hand, the relationship between insulin resistance and dyslipidemia has gained importance in terms of delaying or preventing atherosclerosis. The AIP rate stands out because it is susceptible, cheap and easy to implement in view of cardiovascular risk. Accentuating the AIP rate in guideline publications and integrating it into routine laboratory services can provide benefits such as the identification of vulnerable populations, reduction of mortality and health expenditures. Keywords: Vitamine D, insulin resistance, atherogenic index of plasma, dyslipidemia