Vitamin D Deficiency Attenuates High-Fat Diet-Induced Hyperinsulinemia and Hepatic Lipid Accumulation in Male Mice

It is increasingly recognized that vitamin D deficiency is associated with increased risks of metabolic disorders among overweight children. A recent study showed that vitamin D deficiency exacerbated inflammation in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease through activating toll-like receptor 4 in a high-fat diet (HFD) rat model. The present study aimed to further investigate the effects of vitamin D deficiency on HFD-induced insulin resistance and hepatic lipid accumulation. Male ICR mice (35 d old) were randomly assigned into 4 groups as follows. In control diet and vitamin D deficiency diet (VDD) groups, mice were fed with purified diets. In HFD and VDD + HFD groups, mice were fed with HFD. In VDD and VDD + HFD groups, vitamin D in feed was depleted. Feeding mice with vitamin D deficiency diet did not induce obesity, insulin resistance, and hepatic lipid accumulation. By contrary, vitamin D deficiency markedly alleviated HFD-induced overweight, hyperinsulinemia, and hepatic lipid accumulation. Moreover, vitamin D deficiency significantly attenuated HFD-induced up-regulation of hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, which promoted hepatic lipid uptake and lipid droplet formation, and its target gene cluster of differentiation 36. In addition, vitamin D deficiency up-regulated carnitine palmitoyltrans 2, the key enzyme for fatty acid beta-oxidation, and uncoupling protein 3, which separated oxidative phosphorylation from ATP production, in adipose tissue. These data suggest that vitamin D deficiency is not a direct risk factor for obesity, insulin resistance, and hepatic lipid accumulation. Vitamin D deficiency alleviates HFD-induced overweight, hyperinsulinemia, and hepatic lipid accumulation through promoting fatty acid beta-oxidation and elevating energy expenditure in adipose tissue.