Most major labs consider sufficient vitamin D levels to be from 32 to 100 ng/ml. One study showed those with sub-optimal vitamin D ( 20-29ng/ml ) to have 40% more subcutaneous fat and those with less than 20 ng/ml to have 80% more abdominal fat ! Is this due to fat tissue storing and holding vitamin D and not releasing it or if vitamin D actually reduces adipose tissue is not known for sure yet. Studies are showing though an inverse ( opposite) relationship between circulating vitamin D and body mass index, weight, abdominal fat and subcutaneous fat.
Another study involved 60 overweight/obese women aged 20-35 years adhering to a low calorie diet. Those with higher vitamin D levels lost more weight and fat. The authors of this study said their results suggested that women with a better vitamin D status respond more positively to low calorie diets and lose more body fat.
Adoponectin is a hormone produced by adipose tissue and is involved in glucose and fatty acid breakdown and low levels are being shown to be an independent risk factor for metabolic syndrome. Just this month a large study showed that vitamin D levels and adoponectin levels were highly correlated.This is likely one of the ways that vitamin D exerts it's effects on weight control.
So what is your take home? If you are concerned about your weight get your vitamin D levels tested. ( There are dozens if not more benefits to having an adequate vitamin D level anyway. ) Vitamin D testing is now mainstream and rapidly becoming routine. It is something we order quite often in our nutritional work.
Sun is of course a main way to get vitamin D but most people need to supplement to reach adequate levels especially in the wintertime. Many physicians are using 50,000 units once weekly to boost vitamin D levels. The only issue I have with that is that one vitamin never exists in those kind of amounts in nature so relative deficiencies of other vitamins could develop and studies are beginning to hint that that can be the case. New work is showing that it may be important for other vitamins to be given at the same time. This can be a subject for another blog post but I think we have a better approach than the 50,000 units of vitamin D once weekly.
Regardless- if weight is a concern - now add that as one more reason to know your vitamin D levels ! For more information contact us at Winters Wellness Center 270-554-2141 info@winterswellness.com