The associations of particulate matter short-term exposure and serum lipids are modified by vitamin D status: A panel study of young healthy adults.

Particulate matter (PM) exposure is associated to the adverse change in blood lipids. Vitamin D is beneficial to lipid metabolism, but whether vitamin D levels modifies the impact of air pollutants on lipids is unclear. The purpose of the study was to investigate if vitamin D modifies the associations of PM and serum lipids in young healthy people. From December 2017 to January 2018, a panel study with five once weekly follow-ups was conducted on 88 healthy adults aged 21.09 (1.08) (mean (SD)) years on average in Guangzhou, China. We measured serum lipids, serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations (440 blood samples in total), mass concentrations of particulate matter with diameters ≤2.5 μm (PM 2.5), ≤1.0 μm (PM 1.0), and ≤0.5 μm (PM 0.5), and number concentrations of particulate matter with diameters ≤0.2 μm (PN 0.2) and ≤0.1 μm (PN 0.1) at each follow-up. Linear mixed-effect models were applied to assess the interaction of vitamin D and size-fractionated PM short-term exposure on four lipid metrics. We found the interactions between 25(OH)D and size-fractionated PM exposure on blood lipids in different lags (lag 3 days and 4 days). An interquartile range increase in PM 2.5 , PM 1.0 , PM 0.5 were significantly associated with increments of 12.30%, 12.99%, and 13.66% in triglycerides (TGs) at lag 4 days at vitamin D levels <15 ng/mL group, respectively. Similar results were found for PN 0.2 , PN 0.1 and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). All the associations between size-fractionated PM and blood lipids were found null statistically significant in vitamin D levels ≥15 ng/mL group. [Display omitted] • Vitamin D modified the association between particulate matter (PM) and blood lipids. • PM 2.5 , PM 10 , PM 0.5 are associated with increments of TGs at vitamin D < 15 ng/mL group. • PN 0.2 and PN 0.1 are associated with increments of LDL-C at vitamin D < 15 ng/mL group. • No association is observed between PM and blood lipids at vitamin D ≥ 15 ng/mL group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]