healthyyou

As I was on my way home this afternoon from the office, I was contemplating on creating my first topic post for this blog. What came to mind was a news item I read a few weeks ago regarding a possible link between vitamin D and obesity. Even to me, that was quite novel so I read on and found the information not only important to learn but worthy of sharing as well.

The report said that a study of 90 young women residents of southern California found that those with lower levels of vitamin D were considerably heavier and had greater body mass than those with sufficient vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D is obtained mostly through the body’s direct exposure to sunlight. The sun’s ultraviolet rays trigger the synthesis and release of this vitamin into the system. This vitamin is vital in the regulation of bone metabolism; thus insufficient supply of this vitamin can lead to impaired bone health – a premise which may suggest that vitamin D levels can affect body weight.

Yet, past studies looking into the relationships among vitamin D, bone health, and body fat had come up with variable results. That made Dr. Gilsanz’s team to investigate possible associations linking these three factors together, in post-pubertal women residing in a sunny area.

According to the researchers headed by Dr. Vicente Gilsanz, of the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, the findings of their study suggest that obesity is associated with vitamin D insufficiency.

The researchers found that out of the 90 women who participated in the study, 37 had sufficient levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, a metabolite of vitamin D (30 mg/ml or above). The rest of the women had lower concentrations of vitamin D that indicated a deficiency of this essential vitamin.

In a report published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, the researchers said that their study “indicates that vitamin D is extremely common in young women living in a sun-rich area of the United States.”

• Other interesting and significant findings of the study include the following:Absence of a correlation between vitamin D concentrations and bone measurements in skeletally mature women 16 to 22 years of age;
• <!–[if !supportLists]–>When compared with women who had sufficient vitamin D, counterparts of same age groups with deficient vitamin D were heavier by approximately 7.4 kilograms (about 16.3 pounds) on the average. These vitamin D deficient women also had an average of 3.4 points greater body mass measurements; and
• · <!–[endif]–>A positive association between height and vitamin D status which the researchers categorized as “unexplained and intriguing.”

With the results of their study, the researchers recommend that more research be done to look into their findings further, as well as to investigate associations among vitamin D concentrations, bone growth, and obesity.

As weight control and obesity problems continue to affect many people, it is good to find one more possible cause of this prevalent medical condition, to help us in preventing and fighting it. Meanwhile, as studies on this subject are being done, the best thing to do is to maintain a well-balanced diet, and to avoid having deficiency of vitamin D.

To ensure that you have sufficient supply of vitamin D, spend an hour or two under early morning sunlight, do not go beyond 9 o’clock though, to avoid the sun’s harmful effects. You may also take vitamin supplements containing this essential vitamin.