What’s behind the synergy of vitamin D levels and weight gain or loss?

We’ve known for a few years that vitamin D and weight are linked, but the debate has been how. People who are overweight or obese tend to have low vitamin D levels. What came first? The obesity or the vitamin D loss?

A new study from the University of Minnesota and presented at the Endocrine Society’s 91st Annual Meeting measured vitamin D levels in 38 men and women before putting them on a calorie-restricted diet. Bottom line—the higher the pre-diet vitamin D levels, the greater the weight loss, particularly weight around the middle, which is notoriously hard to lose and is associated with insulin resistance. The researchers suggest that adding a vitamin D supplement to a diet plan could enhance weight loss.

Other researchers theorize that vitamin D deficiency contributes to insulin resistance, one of the primary causes of weight gain.

Taking a vitamin D supplement without changing eating habits will probably not magically make the fat melt away. A 2008 study done in Norway simply gave vitamin D or a placebo to 334 overweight people and found no significant weight loss difference in the vitamin D group at the end of 12 months.

Vitamin D has become a nutritional darling in the past few years, and for good reason. A deficiency has been strongly linked to osteoporosis, many types of cancer, depression and other mood disorders, diabetes, heart disease and poor immune function.

More Information about Vitamin D

Vitamin D – How Much to Take
The Best Way to Test for Vitamin D
Vitamin D and Children

Vitamin D Test

Here’s where to find a simple, accurate at-home test to Measure Vitamin D Levels:

References

The Endocrine Society (2009, June 12). Successful Weight Loss With Dieting Is Linked To Vitamin D Levels. ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com­.

Sneve M, Figenschau Y, Jorde R, “Supplementation with cholecalciferol does not result in weight reduction in overweight and obese subjects,” Eur J Endocrinol 2008 Dec;159(6):675-84.

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