Serum Vitamin D Status and its Relationship with Body Mass Index in Medical Students: Insights from a Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Vitamin D deficiency is increasingly recognized as a global public health concern.This study investigates the relationship between serum vitamin D status and body mass index (BMI), among medical students in India, aiming to understand potential health implications for this population.Aim: To analyze serum vitamin D levels and their correlation with BMI among medical students using a cross-sectional analysis.Materials and methods: Ninety healthy medical students from different phases were enrolled in a cross-sectional study conducted over 3 months in the Department of Physiology, Hind Institute of Medical Sciences, Safedabad.Height, weight, BMI, blood pressure, and serum vitamin D levels (measured by ELISA from 5 mL venous blood) were recorded.Body mass index was categorized based on Asian Indian standards.Statistical analysis was performed using Statistical software SPSS 27, employing median, interquartile range (IQR), mean, standard deviation (SD), Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Walli's H-test, and Spearman correlation.A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: The median BMI of participants was 24 kg/m 2 (IQR = 5.4), with 33.3% classified as obese.Serum vitamin D analysis revealed that 34.4% of students were deficient (<30 nmol/L), 54.4% insufficient (30-50 nmol/L), and 11.1% adequate (51-100 nmol/L).A weak, nonsignificant positive correlation between BMI and serum vitamin D levels was observed in the overall population ( = 0.178, p = 0.093) and among females, a statistically significant positive correlation was found ( = 0.331, p = 0.039), while no correlation was observed in males ( = -0.146,p = 0.308) Conclusion: A high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency was identified among medical students, regardless of BMI.These results highlight the need for vitamin D supplementation and lifestyle measures for better health.Clinical significance: High rates of vitamin D deficiency in medical students, regardless of BMI, call for early screening and simple interventions such as supplementation and lifestyle changes to prevent future health risks.