Low vitamin D levels associated with weight gain in young women

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December 13, 2008

Low vitamin D levels associated with weight gain in young women

In an article published online on November 4, 2008 in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, researchers at the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal and the University of Southern California report that postpubertal girls who are low on vitamin D experience weight gain and stunted growth.

McGill University Health Centre Musculoskeletal Axis codirector Kremer and colleagues assessed serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels, weight, height, body fat, and bone mineral density of 90 Caucasian and Hispanic girls aged 16 to 22 living in southern California. Insufficient vitamin D levels were found in 59 percent of the participants. Those with insufficient vitamin D had increased weight, body mass, and body fat and tended to be shorter than girls with sufficient levels of the vitamin. No association between vitamin D levels and bone mineral density was observed in this group.

"The high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in young people living in a sun-rich area was surprising," Dr Kremer commented. "We found young women with vitamin D insufficiency were significantly heavier, with a higher body mass index and increased abdominal fat, than young women with normal levels."

"Although vitamin D is now frequently measured in older adults, due to a higher level of awareness in this population, it is rarely measured in young people – especially healthy adolescents," Dr. Kremer noted.

"Clinicians need to identify vitamin D levels in younger adults who are at risk by using a simple and useful blood test," added co-author Dr. Vicente Gilsanz, who is the head of musculoskeletal imaging at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles of the University of Southern California. "Because lack of vitamin D can cause fat accumulation and increased risk for chronic disorders later in life, further investigation is needed to determine whether vitamin D supplements could have potential benefits in the healthy development of young people."

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