This study by Hyppönen et al. was the first to investigate the combined association of hypovitaminosis D and reduced Insulin Growth Factor (IGF)-1 with metabolic syndrome prevalence. The data collected from 6,810 participants (aged 45 years) of the 1958 British birth cohort indicated that both 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], an indicator of vitamin D status, and IGF-1 were inversely associated with the metabolic syndrome, as defined by modified NCEP-ATP III criteria. The authors also found an interaction between 25(OH)D and IGF-1 on metabolic syndrome prevalence. For instance, reductions in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome observed with higher vitamin D levels were greater when IGF-1 concentrations were elevated, although decreases in the incidence of metabolic syndrome were observed irrespective of IGF-1 concentrations. In light of these results, the authors emphasized the importance of improving vitamin D status in the general population for preventing long-term health risks induced by hypovitaminosis D.
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