Nutrition Reviews · Sep 1, 2025
Effect of Vitamin D Supplementation on Lipid Profile in Overweight or Obese Women: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials
By Hu L, Velu P, Prabahar K et al.
CONTEXT: Previous studies have explored the relationship between vitamin D and lipid profile in individuals with obesity or overweight women, but the results have been inconsistent. OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis and systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to assess the effect of vitamin D on lipid profile in women who are overweight or obese. DATA SOURCES: A meticulous search strategy was used across the Scopus, PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, and Embase databases up to June 2024. DATA EXTRACTION: RCT studies administering vitamin D to overweight or obese women were extracted. A random-effects model was applied to compute the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% CIs of the intervention on each variable. DATA ANALYSES: Thirteen eligible publications with 16 arms focused on low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), 16 arms on high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), 18 arms on total cholesterol (TC), and 18 arms on triglycerides (TG) were included in the final quantitative analysis. Vitamin D supplementation resulted in significant reductions in TG (WMD: -6.13 mg/dL; 95% CI: -8.99 to -3.28; P = .000) and TC (WMD: -4.45 mg/dL; 95% CI: -7.06 to -1.83; P = .001), as well as a significant increase in HDL-C concentrations (WMD: 1.54 mg/dL; 95% CI: 0.57 to 2.52; P = .002). Stratified analysis indicated a greater reduction in TG levels in studies with a mean baseline TG concentration ≥150 mg/dL (WMD: -23.58 mg/dL) and when vitamin D was administered for ≤26 weeks (WMD: -11.44 mg/dL). CONCLUSION: According to our findings, vitamin D has a significant effect on hypertriglyceridemia in individuals who are overweight or obese. However, vitamin D has no significant effect on LDL-C concentrations in this population.