ArticleFrontiers in nutrition2025
Exploring the mediating role of serum vitamin D in the link between dietary live microbes intake and obesity: a cross-sectional real-world study.
Article in Frontiers in nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
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3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Associations between outdoor light exposure and low muscle mass: An NHANES 2011 to 2014 analysis.Medicine · 2026Article
- Vitamin D in Cardiovascular Medicine: From Molecular Mechanisms to Clinical Translation.Nutrients · 2026Review
- The Dietary Index for Gut Microbiota and Live Microbe Intake in Relation to Visceral Fat Obesity: Evidence From NHANES With Vitamin D as a Mediator.Food science & nutrition · 2026Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
Background: Existing research results suggest a correlation between body mass index (BMI) and serum vitamin D levels, as well as the intake of live microbes from dietary sources. However, it is essential to further investigate whether serum vitamin D could serve as a mediator in the relationship between the consumption of dietary live microbes and obesity, as this connection remains to be elucidated. Methods: We analyzed data from 18,099 participants in the 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), focusing on obesity [assessed via BMI and waist circumference (WC)], serum vitamin D levels, and the dietary intake of live microbes (evaluated both as a continuous variable and a three-level categorical variable). A composite category "MedHi" was used to reflect the intake of foods containing medium (10 Results: After adjusting for potential confounding factors, it was found that both vitamin D and the MedHi consumption were strongly and negatively associated with obesity. Mediation analysis revealed that serum vitamin D mediated the relationship between the dietary intake of live microbes and BMI, WC, obesity, and abdominal obesity with mediated proportions of 14.6, 12.5, 13.0, and 12.5%, respectively. Conclusion: The positive association between the dietary intake of live microbes and obesity risk is partly mediated by serum vitamin D. Foods with higher microbial concentrations could be beneficial.
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