Metabolic and Vitamin D Assessments

After a 12-h overnight fast and 48-h alcohol abstinence, all participants underwent a physical examination in the morning. The height, weight, waist circumstance (WC), systolic pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of the participants were measured and recorded by a professional nurse. Fasting venous blood was collected and centrifuged to obtain serum for detection of the following parameters using an automatic biochemical analyzer (AU480, Olympus, Japan): aspartate aminotransferase (AST), ALT, TG, TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, γ-glutamine transferase (GGT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), albumin (ALB), plasma glucose (GLU), fasting insulin (INS), and blood platelet (PLT). Serum 25(OH)D₃ was detected by a chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA) (VD-T, Mindray, China). Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was estimated as previously described (50 (link)). Body mass index (BMI) was calculated using the following equation: BMI (kg/m²) = body weight (kg)/height² (m). Participants with a BMI greater than 25 but less than 30 were defined as overweight, and participants with a BMI greater than 30 were defined as obese (51 (link)). According to the Vitamin D Deficiency Screening Method of China in 2020, VD deficiency was defined as circulating 25(OH)D₃ less than 12 ng/mL, and VD insufficiency was defined as serum 25(OH)D₃ levels between 12 and 20 ng/mL (52 ).