ASSOCIATION BETWEEN INFLAMMATORY MARKERS, LIVER ENZYMES, LIPID PROFILE, AND VITAMIN D STATUS IN ADULTS WITH OBESITY: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.

BACKGROUND: Vitamin D has pleiotropic effects on insulin secretion, lipid metabolism, immune modulation, and blood pressure regulation through ubiquitously expressed vitamin D receptors. OBJECTIVE: This cross-sectional study sought to investigate the associations between inflammatory markers, liver enzymes, lipid profile, glycemic parameters, hemodynamic measures, and vitamin D status in adults with obesity. METHODS: A total of 68 adults with obesity were enrolled and stratified by age younger than 40 years versus older than 40 years and BMI (normal weight BMI<25 kg/m² versus overweight BMI ≥25 kg/m², or both. Demographic characteristics, smoking status, and anthropometric measurements were recorded. Lipid profile, glycemic control, liver enzymes, vitamin D, and inflammation markers were measured. RESULTS: Adults older than 40 years had significantly higher systolic blood pressure (p=0.016), fasting serum glucose (p=0.017), and HbA1c (p=0.005) compared to younger adults. Overweight individuals demonstrated significantly higher CRP levels (p=0.040) compared to normal-weight individuals. Triglycerides (AUC=0.638) and systolic blood pressure (AUC=0.634) demonstrated a weak association with vitamin D deficiency. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrated the multifactorial nature of vitamin D regulation in obesity and reflect the unreliability of measuring serum vitamin D in clinical settings as a diagnostic tool in obese individuals, particularly when coexisting with ageing.