Recently a couple of blogs have focused on the potential role that vitamin D may play in the regulation of body weight (see here and here).
One of these blogs concerns a study which found that low. Levels of vitamin D were associated with increased body weight and waist circumference. This does not mean that vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency definitely causes fatty accumulation, but this possibility exists.
Vitamin D deficiency may be linked to obesity
As a follow-up I was interested to read about a study which assessed the relationship between vitamin D levels and weight loss on a reduced calorie diet (you can read about it here). In this study, conducted at the University of Minnesota in the USA, 38 obese men and women were put on a reduced calorie diet (750 calories less per day than their daily requirement) for 11 weeks.
The researchers looked at the relationship between vitamin D levels and extent of weight loss in the study participants.
The report linked to above states that vitamin D insufficiency was noted in many of these individuals, which possibly reflects the previous research which suggests that vitamin D deficiency might have some part to play in the development of overweight and obesity.
Higher vitamin D levels linked to greater weight loss
However, perhaps more telling than this was the finding that there was a relationship between the vitamin D levels and the extent of weight loss. The higher the vitamin D levels, the greater the weight loss. Again, this study also cannot be used to conclude that vitamin D can assist weight loss. But it’s another piece of evidence which ties vitamin D to body weight control.
What is required now are intervention trials in which the effect of supplemental vitamin D on body weight is assessed, either on its own, or as part of some weight-reducing regime (e.g. diet). If such studies show that vitamin D can promote weight loss, then we will have unearthed a potentially important factor in obesity. It will also help to explain why individuals can often find themselves lighter in the summer than in the winter.
Dr. John Briffa is a graduate of the University College London School of Medicine. Since qualifying as a doctor, Dr Briffa has developed a special interest in nutritional and naturally-oriented medicine.
He is in private practice in London, and his aim is to assist individuals identify and remedy the underlying cause of chronic symptoms and conditions.
Dr Briffa is a former columnist for the Daily Mail and the Observer, and is a regular contributor to newspapers and magazines. He is a former recipient of the Health Journalist of the Year award in the UK. He has written 6 books on the subject of nutrition and natural health and has been a major contributor to 3 others.
Dr. Briffa lectures internationally to corporations, members of the public and health professionals, and is a regular guest on radio and TV.
You can read more at www.drbriffa.com.
Latest posts by Dr. John Briffa (see all)
- Mental Illness Is Not “All in the Mind” - October 1, 2015
- Drop Self-Criticism and Drop Pounds Too - September 28, 2015
- B12 Deficiency Linked with Brain Shrinkage in Later Life - October 2, 2011
