Vitamin D Deficiency An Increased Risk In Obesity

Obesity can lead to a lack of vitamin D circulating in the body, according to a study led by the UCL Institute of Child Health (ICH). Efforts to tackle obesity should thus also help to reduce levels of vitamin D deficiency in the population, says the lead investigator of the study, Dr Elina Hypponen.

While previous studies have linked vitamin D deficiency with obesity, the ICH-led paper, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, sought to establish the direction of causality i.e. whether a lack of vitamin D triggers a weight gain, or whether obesity leads to the deficiency.

This study, based on an ICH-led D-CarDia Collaboration, used genetic markers derived from an analysis of 21 adult cohort groups (up to 42,000 participants) to explore the link between body mass index (BMI) and genes associated with the synthesis and metabolism of vitamin D. Associations between vitamin D and BMI were further confirmed using data from another genetic consortium with over 123,000 participants.

Researchers found that a 10 per cent rise in BMI was linked to a four per cent drop in concentrations of vitamin D in the body. Overall, the findings suggest that a higher BMI leads to lower levels of available vitamin D, while the effect of a lack of vitamin D on BMI appears to be very small.

The association between obesity and vitamin D status found here was consistent between genders, being apparent both in men and in women, and in younger and older age groups.

Vitamin D, which is essential for healthy bones as well as other functions, is made in the skin after exposure to sunlight but can also be obtained through the diet and through supplements.

Obesity and vitamin D status are known to be associated, but the direction of the association and whether it is causal has been uncertain up to now. Vitamin D deficiency is a growing public health concern, and there is evidence that vitamin D metabolism, storage and action both influence and are influenced by adiposity or body fat. While experiments in rats have suggested that large doses of vitamin D2 can boost the amount of energy they burn, trials testing the effect of vitamin D supplements on weight loss in obese or overweight people have not shown any consistent findings.

It has also been suggested that obesity could result from an excessive adaptive winter response, and that the decline in vitamin D skin synthesis from less exposure to sunlight contributes to the tendency to put on weight during colder seasons. However, vitamin D is stored in fatty tissue and thus, the most likely explanation for the association found in the ICH-led study is that the larger storage capacity for vitamin D in obese people leads to lower circulating concentrations of vitamin D.

Overall, the ICH results suggest that although increases in vitamin D are not likely to help with weight regulation, increased risk of vitamin D deficiency could contribute to the adverse health effects associated with obesity.

Dr Elina Hypponen, UCL Institute of Child Health and lead author of the study, says: "Vitamin D deficiency is an active health concern around the world. While many health messages have focused on a lack of sun exposure or excessive use of suncreams, we should not forget that vitamin D deficiency is also caused by obesity."

"Our study highlights the importance of monitoring and treating vitamin D deficiency in people who are overweight or obese, in order to alleviate adverse health effects caused by a lack of vitamin D."

How To Start The New Year Healthy

For a lot of people, the start of the New Year also means the start of a healthier lifestyle, which for many has to do with either losing weight or eating healthily. This can seem difficult or out of reach at first, but with a bit of motivation, dedication and discipline it is certainly possible.
The key to losing weight and staying fit is through identifying and changing bad lifestyle habits and behaviors.

Obesity is a serious problem in the United States, with nearly one third of the country's adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30+ (considered as obese).

The weight-loss industry makes an absolute fortune in selling products to try and help people lose weight, but one of the main problems is discipline and consistency. Only 20 percent of Americans who diet and lose the desired amount of weight actually stay that way for more than a year.

According to Dr. Jessica Bartfield, who specializes in medical weight loss at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, part of the Loyola University Health System:

"People need a motivation to lose weight and the new year is an opportunity to start fresh. Maybe it was the shock of seeing oneself in recent holiday photos, or not being able to fit into desired party attire that causes a vow to lose weight, and for many more it is a medical event such as a heart attack, the threat of diabetes or high blood pressure."

Bartfield belongs to a team of dedicated doctors who specialize in providing comprehensive surgical and non-surgical programs for weight reduction at The Loyola Center for Metabolic Surgery & Bariatric Care.

Behavioral change is one of the key factors in losing weight, with professional health advice being vital in helping people learn what to do, how to do it and how to maintain their behavior change.

Dr. Bartfield said "Behavior change is the cornerstone of healthy, successful weight loss and it takes about three months to establish a new behavior. Just as you learn to play a musical instrument from a skilled teacher, you need to learn how to lose weight from professionals. You need to practice and make mistakes until you get it right. At Loyola, a team of tried-and-true medical experts can teach you the skills you need to achieve and maintain behavior change."


 She compares making behavioral changes to playing a new musical instrument, each time you expect to hit the right note you might accidentally hit the wrong one. You just need to keep trying and trying until you eventually perfect it. With weight loss, you need to have a similar mindset - do not be put off by a few bumps along the way.

Dr. Bartfield and team identified the best weight loss behaviors by gathering and examining data from 4,000 Americans from The National Weight Control Registry (NWCR). They all lost 30 pounds and kept their weight down for at least five years.

What Are Most Effective Weight Loss Behaviors?

• Eat breakfast within one hour of waking up in the morning. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and it boosts the body's metabolism by over 20%, which can really help with weight loss.
  
• Consistently measure how much you weigh. Try and weigh yourself each week and track how much weight you've either put on or lost, this will allow you to see what behaviors work for you.
  
• Try and exercise or do moderate physical activity for at least one hour every day. This does not necessarily mean doing cardio for one hour non-stop; a series of activities, such as vacuuming and going up the stairs can all add up to achieving this.
  
• Limit the amount of time you spend idle, watching TV. Try and limit this to a maximum of 10 hours a week. Instead, find activities that are more physically active, more than half of the NWCR members watched TV for fewer than 10 hours a week. Children who have a television in their room are much more likely to become obese, a recent study found.
  
• Make sure you are consistent with your diet plan and behavioral changes. It's no good to eat well and exercise for five days and then have a massive splurge afterwards; you will seriously undermine your progress. If you are consistent for at least 25 days per month, you can achieve substantial weight loss.
  
• Monitor how much physical activity you do during the day and do your best to make sure you make small changes in your life that increase your amount of physical activity. For example, try walking instead of using transportation whenever you can. A simple way to be more physically active is to spend less time in a car.

Aerobic exercises versus resistance training - if your initial aim is to lose weight, bear in mind that aerobic training is much more effective for burning fat than resistance training.