Paper Title
Investigating The Clinical, Genetic and Environmentaldeterminants of Vitamin D Status and Energy Metabolism in The UAE

Abstract
Animal studies support a role for vitamin D in energy regulation, however, whether weight loss through lifestyle intervention is influenced by vitamin D status under real-world conditions remains unknown. The primary purpose of this studywas to investigate the effect of baseline vitamin D status and vitamin D supplementation on percentage body weightloss and abdominal circumference in overweight and obese adults participating in a 3-month weight-loss program. This study is a retrospective analysis of a clinical data bank collected from several medical centres across Dubai, UAE. Clinical parameters including blood pressure, fasting lipid profile (Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and TG), serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) as well as anthropometry (weight, height, and waistcircumference) werecollected from both baseline and 3-month follow up consultations. Some patients with low baseline 25OHD concentrations received vitamin D supplements, according to the preference of theirphysician. Subjects who had sufficient baseline 25(OH)D levels showed a significantly greater body weightloss and waist circumference reduction than those who had a deficient baseline 25(OH)D and were not supplemented. Importantly, deficient patients who were supplemented with daily vitamin D (2000 or 4000IU) showed a significantly greater decrease in body weight(-5.3 vs - 2.2kg; p<0.01) and waist circumference (-4.2 vs -1.2cm p<0.01). Weal so observed a greater decrease in total cholesterol and LDL in those subjects who were deficientat baseline and supplemented than in those who were not supplemented. Blood pressure and triglyceride levels were not affected by the level of supplementation in subjects that were deficientat baseline.Because obesity and vitamin D insufficiency are increasingly prevalent worldwide, a better understanding of the nature of the relation between them remains an important area of investigation. In a real clinical weight-losssetting, adequate vitamin D status at the end of the treatment period was associated with significantly greater weight loss and reduction of waist circumference. Keywords- vitamin D, 25 hydroxyvitamin D, obesity, weight loss, cholesterol, triglyceride.