People with large waistlines have lower levels of vitamin D, study finds
- Obese people with excessive abdominal fat have lower vitamin D levels
- Liver fat is associated with reduced vitamin D levels in obese men only
- It is unclear how vitamin D levels and abdominal fat are related
- Past research links vitamin D to arthritis, asthma and type 1 diabetes
- Around 26% of adults in the UK are obese, which raises the risk of heart disease
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Obese people who carry excess fat around their midriffs have lower vitamin D levels, new research suggests.
Liver fat is also associated with reduced levels of the sunshine supplement in overweight men, but not women, the study found.
It is unclear if a lack of vitamin D contributes to abdominal-fat storage or if obesity reduces the vitamin’s levels.
Previous research suggests the supplement lowers people’s risk of developing conditions such as arthritis, asthma and type 1 diabetes due to its anti-inflammatory and immune-strengthening effects.
Around 26 per cent of adults in the UK are obese, which puts them at risk of heart disease, stroke and premature death.
Obese people who carry excess fat around their midriffs have lower vitamin D levels (stock)
DOES VITAMIN D REDUCE THE RISK OF AN EARLY MENOPAUSE?
Women can cut their risk of an early menopause by eating oily fish and eggs, research suggested in May 2017.
A high vitamin D intake via food and supplements lowers the risk by 17 percent, a study found.
Vitamin D is thought to slow the ageing of women’s ovaries.
Calcium-rich foods make women 13 percent less likely to suffer, the research adds.
Around one in 10 women go through the menopause before the age of 45, increasing their risk of osteoporosis and heart disease, and reducing their chances of conceiving.
The researchers analysed 116,430 female health workers over two decades.
Their diet was recorded in food questionnaires five times over that period, during which 2,041 women entered the menopause.
Lead author Alexandra Purdue-Smithe, from the University of Massachusetts, said: ‘Scientists are looking for anything that can reduce the risk of early menopause and things like diet, which can be easily altered, have wide-ranging implications for women.’
The main natural source of vitamin D is sunlight, however, it also appears in oily fish, egg yolks and fortified cereals.
Dairy products are not fortified with the vitamin in the UK.
‘Individuals with larger waistlines are at risk of deficiency’
Lead author Dr Rachida Rafiq, from the VU University, Amsterdam, said: ‘The strong relationship between increasing amounts of abdominal fat and lower levels of vitamin D suggests that individuals with larger waistlines are at a greater risk of developing deficiency, and should consider having their vitamin D levels checked.
‘Due to the observational nature of this study, we cannot draw a conclusion on the direction or cause of the association between obesity and vitamin D levels.
‘However, this strong association may point to a possible role for vitamin D in abdominal fat storage and function.’
The researchers plan to investigate the role of vitamin D in obesity.
How the research was carried out
The researchers analysed abdominal and overall body fat in people aged 45-to-65 who took part in a previous obesity study.
The participants’ vitamin D levels were also assessed.
Findings from the study were presented at the European Society of Endocrinology annual conference in Barcelona.
Vitamin D is an ‘inexpensive solution’ to heart drugs
This comes after research released last January suggested vitamin D is an ‘inexpensive solution’ to drugs.
Scientists discovered the sunshine supplement repairs and prevents damage to the heart caused by diabetes and high blood pressure.
Vitamin D stimulates the production of nitric acid, which is involved in regulating blood flow and preventing the formation of blood clots, according to the first study of its kind.
It also reduces ‘internal stress’ in the cardiovascular system, which could avoid heart-related incidents, the research adds.
Study author Dr Tadeusz Malinski, from Ohio University, said: ‘There are not many, if any, known systems which can be used to restore cardiovascular cells which are already damaged, and vitamin D can do it.
‘This is a very inexpensive solution to repair the cardiovascular system. We don’t have to develop a new drug. We already have it.’
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