Improvement of Apolipoprotein B in Argentine Indigenous School Children after Vitamin D Supplementation

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether vitamin D supplementation of indigenous school children living at high altitude who are vitamin D insufficient improves lipid profile. METHODS: A prospective two-year study evaluated 60 children (29 males) from Hogar School who received 100,000 units of vitamin D and 36 children (16 males) from Sosa School who received 50,000 units. Anthropometric measures, Triglycerides (TG), HDL-C, TG/HDL-C, and vitamin D levels were measured in November 2011 and in November 2013. RESULTS: Children aged 8.8 ± 2 years with mean z-BMI (-0.43) were evaluated. After vitamin D supplementation, mean vitamin D levels increased from 14.7 to 32.1 ng/mL (p < 0.01) in Hogar and from 14.6 to 25.1 ng/mL (p < 0.01) in Sosa School. Furthermore, mean HDL-C increased significantly in Hogar (39.8 to 43.9 mg/dL); while no significant changes were found in Sosa School (44.4 to 45.1 mg/dL). Though no significant changes were found in median TG (117 to 111 mg/dL) and TG/HDL (3.0 to 2.7 mg/dL) in Hogar; TG (95 to 111 mg/dL) and TG/HDL-C (2.2 to 2.4 mg/dL) increased significantly in Sosa School. Several multiple linear regression analyses showed that children from Hogar School decreased TG/HDL-C by 1.3 mg/dL (R(2): 0.14), HDL-c by 3.6 mg/dL (R(2): 0.13), and TG by 31 mg/dL (R(2): 0.11), adjusted for confounding factors. CONCLUSIONS: Indigenous children who received 100,000 U of vitamin D significantly improved vitamin D and lipid levels compared to children who received 50,000 U, suggesting that optimal vitamin D levels are associated with a healthier lipid profile.