Although vitamin D and bone metabolism are closely related, few studies have addressed the effects of vitamin D status on bone in men at time of peak bone mass. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of vitamin D inadequacy in a cross-sectional study in young men and the effects of vitamin D and parathyroid hormone (PTH) on bone mass, bone markers and metabolic function.
The study population consisted of 783 men aged 20-29 years.
Bone mineral density (BMD) of the total hip, femoral neck and lumbar spine was measured. dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to evaluate total body fat mass (BFAT). Visceral fat mass and abdominal subcutaneous fat mass (ViFM and ScFM) were assessed using magnetic resonance imaging. A radioimmunoassay was used to measure the level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D (25OHD).