The role of vitamin D on pulmonary function is unclear and is mostly studied in patients, smokers and elderly people. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentration and pulmonary function in young adults. Cross-sectional analysis of 499 individuals that were evaluated at 21 years of age as part of the population-based cohort Epidemiological Health Investigation of Teenagers in Porto (EPITeen). Serum 25(OH)D was categorized according to the Institute of Medicine. Pulmonary function was evaluated using spirometry. Linear regression models were used to estimate the regression coefficients (β) and its 95% confidence intervals (95% CI), and were adjusted for confounders. Education, smoking, body mass index, and season of evaluation were determinants of serum 25(OH)D concentration. Prevalence of serum 25(OH)D concentration <50 nmol/L was 48.9%. A decrease in all pulmonary function parameters, with the decrease of serum 25(OH)D, was observed. The higher effect was found for peak expiratory flow (PEF). Having as reference participants with serum 25(OH)D concentration ≥50 nmol/L, PEF was significantly lower for those with a concentration of 30 to <50 nmol/L (β= −0.576; 95% CI: −0.943, −0.210), and for those with a concentration of <30 nmol/L (β= −0.650; 95% CI: −1.155, −0.146). Although only PEF attained statistical significance, the consistent results with the other parameters support the role of serum 25(OH)D to promote better pulmonary function in young adults.

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Background: The immune system gradually matures early in life in the face of internal and external stimuli. Whether the immune responses are lasting and stable during the course of life is still unclear. Methods: As part of the EPITeen cohort, 1183 adolescents were prospectively evaluated at the ages of 13, 17, 21, 24 and 27. Sociodemographic, behavioral and clinical data were collected by self- and face-to-face-administered questionnaires, along with a physical examination comprising anthropometric measurements and blood sample collections. Mixed-effects models were used to identify individual trajectories of white blood cells (WBC) and finite Gaussian mixture models were used to identify the clusters of individual trajectories. Results: Participants were allocated into six clusters based on the individual trajectories of WBC distribution. Higher Inflammatory Activation Cluster (11.4%) had the highest total WBC count and neutrophils percentage, as well as the lowest percentage of lymphocytes. These participants had significantly higher odds of being overweight [OR = 2.44, 95%CI:1.51–3.92]. Lowest Levels of WBC Cluster (24.1%) had the lowest total WBC count, being characterized by a higher participation on sports [OR = 1.54, 95%CI:1.12–2.13]. Highest Proportion of Eosinophils Cluster (20.1%) had the highest eosinophils percentage and the highest likelihood of having been diagnosed with a chronic disease [OR = 2.11, 95%CI:1.43–3.13], namely “asthma or allergies” [OR = 14.0 (1.73, 112.2]. Lowest Proportion of Eosinophils Cluster (29.1%) had the lowest percentage of eosinophils and basophils, as well as the highest lymphocyte proportion. Participants in the Undefined Cluster (13.8%) showed the highest percentage of monocytes and basophils and were also characterized by significant lower odds of having parents with 7–9 years of schooling [OR = 0.56, (0.32, 0.99]. Conclusions: In this study we identified distinct immunological trajectories of WBC from adolescence to adulthood that were associated with social, clinical and behavioral determinants. These results suggest that these immunological trajectories are defined early in life, being dependent on the exposures.

A close relationship between immune and metabolic systems has been perceived in the recent past. We aimed to assess whether the immunological trajectories of circulating white blood cells (WBC) started in adolescence, affects the metabolic phenotype in adulthood. We used data from 1183 participants of the population-based EPITeen cohort, evaluated at 13, 17, 21, 24 and 27 years of age. The Immunological trajectories from 13 to 27 years old were identified by mixed-effects models, being their association with metabolic features at 27 years old measured by logistic regression. The Higher Inflammatory Activation trajectory (HIA trajectory) had the highest percentage of individuals with metabolic syndrome, while Lowest Levels of WBC trajectory (LLWBC trajectory) showed the lowest percentage. Participants with HIA trajectory had significantly higher triglycerides, waist circumference, serum uric acid and BMI. After adjustment for sex and sports practice and hs-CRP, the odds of having one or more metabolic features in adulthood was significantly lower in LLWBC trajectory. Individuals with immunological trajectories of WBC linked with a pattern of higher immune activation showed a less favorable metabolic profile, while those with the lowest levels of WBC were less likely to have metabolic risk factors in adulthood.

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Background: The immune system constitutes a sensory system both for intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Among the extrinsic factors, social and environmental determinants of health may influence and shape the immune system from the childhood to adulthood. The aim of this study was to assess the total and differential white blood cells (WBC) according to social and environmental determinants of health in an adolescent population. Methods: As part of the population-based cohort Epidemiological Health Investigation of Teenagers in Porto (EPITeen), 1213 adolescents were evaluated at the age of 13. Total and differential WBC were evaluated through a venous blood sample. Sociodemographic, behaviour and clinical data were collected by self-administered questionnaires. Results: Total WBC levels were positively related to female gender, increased body mass index (BMI) and negatively related to private school enrollment, high parental education and practice of sports. The percentage of neutrophils was positively related to female gender, low parental education and lack of sports practice, while the percentage of eosinophils was positively related to chronic disease and medication, allergy, asthma and rhinitis. Monocytes proportion was negatively related to female gender, chronic disease and medication, allergy, asthma and increased BMI. Conclusions: The presence of disease was associated with an allergic response pattern, while the worse socioeconomic conditions and lack of sports activity were characterized by an inflammatory response pattern. Therefore, our results show that different exposures lead to distinct immune patterns of response that may last and shape the immune system.

A close relationship between immune and metabolic systems has been perceived in the recent past. We aimed to assess whether the immunological trajectories of circulating white blood cells (WBC) started in adolescence, affects the metabolic phenotype in adulthood. We used data from 1183 participants of the population-based EPITeen cohort, evaluated at 13, 17, 21, 24 and 27 years of age. The Immunological trajectories from 13 to 27 years old were identified by mixed-effects models, being their association with metabolic features at 27 years old measured by logistic regression. The Higher Inflammatory Activation trajectory (HIA trajectory) had the highest percentage of individuals with metabolic syndrome, while Lowest Levels of WBC trajectory (LLWBC trajectory) showed the lowest percentage. Participants with HIA trajectory had significantly higher triglycerides, waist circumference, serum uric acid and BMI. After adjustment for sex and sports practice and hs-CRP, the odds of having one or more metabolic features in adulthood was significantly lower in LLWBC trajectory. Individuals with immunological trajectories of WBC linked with a pattern of higher immune activation showed a less favourable metabolic profile, while those with the lowest levels of WBC were less likely to have metabolic risk factors in adulthood.