Association of vitamin D status and anthropometric outcomes in the first year of life in the MINA Brazil Study

Abstract

Vitamin D is an essential liposoluble micronutrient obtained mainly from exposure to ultraviolet B light, but also from diet. Vitamin D deficiency in early childhood may be related to characteristics such as inadequate sun exposure and overweight, with evidence of association with lower vitamin levels. Because of its role in growth and development processes, including the regulation of musculoskeletal system and metabolism of essential nutrients for bone mineralization, inadequate serum vitamin D concentrations among children may have important repercussions toward unfavorable indicators of linear growth and of weight gain. However, there is lack of research, especially in the national context, addressing this issue in the first years of life. Thus, the present study aims to analyze the association between vitamin D status and anthropometric outcomes of weight and length among children at 12 months of age living in the municipality of Cruzeiro do Sul, Acre, Brazil, as part of the "MINA Brazil Study - Birth Cohort of the Brazilian Western Amazon". Vitamin D concentrations and its deficiency status among children in the first year of life, as well as information on weight and length according to the growth curves of the World Health Organization, will be characterized in a cross-sectional analysis. Data on use of supplements, sun exposure and feeding practices will be considered. We expect to contribute to expand and qualify the knowledge of public health nutrition in a critical window of opportunities for promoting adequate growth and vitamin D status.