The effect of vitamin D fortified products on anthropometric indices: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background and purpose: The reported effects of vitamin D on anthropometric indices have been inconsistent. This meta-analysis was conducted in order to assess the impact of vitamin D fortified food on weight, body mass index (BMI), fat mass, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC) and waist to hip ratio (WHR). Materials and methods PubMed/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Cochrane Library and Google Scholar were searched up to the end of 2019. We selected only randomized controlled trials in which vitamin D fortified food was used as the intervention, and a regular diet was used in the control group. Results Vitamin D fortified products appeared to have a significant effect on WC (MD: 1.283; 95% CI,-1.892 to −0.674) and WHR (MD: 0.020; 95%CI: 0.035 to −0.004). Conclusion This meta-analysis showed that whilst a diet containing vitamin D fortified foods does not reduce body weight or BMI, it has beneficial effect on WHR and WC.