Lack of vitamin D causes weight gain and stunts growth in girls

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Public release date: 10-Dec-2008

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-12/muhc-lov121008.php

Contact: Isabelle Kling

isabelle.kling@...

McGill University Health Centre

Lack of vitamin D causes weight gain and stunts growth in girls

Canada-US study published in Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &

Metabolism recommends young people be screened for low vitamin D levels

This release is available in French.

Montreal, December 10th, 2008 –Insufficient vitamin D can stunt growth

and foster weight gain during puberty, according to a new study

published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Even in

sun-drenched California, where scientists from the McGill University

Health Centre (MUHC) and the University of Southern California conducted

their study, vitamin D deficiency was found to cause higher body mass

and shorter stature in girls at the peak of their growing spurt.

While lack of vitamin D is common in adults and has been linked to

diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer and obesity, until this study,

little was known about the consequences of insufficient vitamin D in

young people. The research team measured vitamin D in girls aged 16 to

22 using a simple blood test (25-hydroxy vitamin D). They also assessed

body fat and height to determine how vitamin D deficiency could affect

young women's health.

" The high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in young people living

in a sun-rich area was surprising, " says study lead author,

Kremer, co-director of the Musculoskeletal Axis of the MUHC. " 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. "

Vitamin D fosters growth, healthier weight

The researchers examined 90 Caucasian and Hispanic girls and discovered

that young women with normal vitamin D levels were on average taller

than peers deficient in vitamin D. Yet in contrast to what's been

previously reported in older women, their investigation found no

association between lack of vitamin D and bone strength.

" 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, " says Dr. Kremer.

" Clinicians need to identify vitamin D levels in younger adults who are

at risk by using a simple and useful blood test, " says the co-author,

Dr. Vicente Gilsanz, 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, " added Dr. Gilsanz.

###

About the study:

" Vitamin D Status and its Relationship to Body Fat, Final Height and

Peak Bone Mass in Young Women, " published in the Journal of Clinical

Endocrinology & Metabolism, was authored by Kremer of the McGill

University Health Centre, P. and Vicente Gilsanz of

the Children's Hospital Los Angeles of the University of Southern

California, and Reinhardt of the U.S. Department of

Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center.

Partners in research:

This work was supported by the U.S, Department of the Army; the National

Institutes of Health (a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human

Services); the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of

Canada (NSERC); and the Dimensional Fund Advisors Canada Inc (a

subsidiary of U.S.-based Dimensional Fund Advisors).

On the Web:

About the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism:

http://jcem.endojournals.org

About the McGill University Health Centre: www.muhc.ca/research

The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI MUHC)

is a world-renowned biomedical and health-care hospital research centre.

Located in Montreal, Quebec, the institute is the research arm of the

MUHC, the university health center affiliated with the Faculty of

Medicine at McGill University. The institute supports over 600

researchers, nearly 1200 graduate and post-doctoral students and

operates more than 300 laboratories devoted to a broad spectrum of

fundamental and clinical research. The Research Institute operates at

the forefront of knowledge, innovation and technology and is

inextricably linked to the clinical programs of the MUHC, ensuring that

patients benefit directly from the latest research-based knowledge.

The Research Institute of the MUHC is supported in part by the Fonds de

la recherche en santé du Québec. For further details visit:

www.muhc.ca/research.

--

ne Holden, MS, RD

" Ask the Parkinson Dietitian " http://www.parkinson.org/

" Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease "

" Parkinson's disease: Guidelines for Medical Nutrition Therapy "

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