Vitamin D Deficiency: Consequence or Cause of Obesity?
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to explore the relationship between vitamin D deficiency and obesity, and whether a healthy diet and exercise could address both conditions.
Results Summary
The study found that vitamin D deficiency is common in obese individuals, likely due to volumetric dilution, but its role in obesity development remains unclear. A healthy diet and exercise are recommended as the primary treatment to improve both obesity-related metabolic issues and vitamin D deficiency.
Population
Obese individuals with vitamin D deficiency.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
VD supplementation | no change | dysmetabolic state | obese people | no significant change | has not yet been clearly shown to benefit | #1 |
targeting lifestyle through healthy diet and exercise | decrease | obesity-related dysmetabolic state and vitamin D deficiency | obese people | - | should be the first treatment option that will affect | #2 |
VD supplementation | decrease | residual VD deficiency | individuals after weight loss | - | remains a treatment option | #3 |
Obesity is defined as an excess amount of body fat and represents a significant health problem worldwide. High prevalence of vitamin D (VD) deficiency in obese subjects is a well-documented finding, most probably due to volumetric dilution into the greater volumes of fat, serum, liver, and muscle, even though other mechanisms could not completely be excluded, as they may contribute concurrently. Low VD could not yet be excluded as a cause of obesity, due to its still incompletely explored effects through VD receptors found in adipose tissue (AT). VD deficiency in obese people does not seem to have consequences for bone tissue, but may affect other organs, even though studies have shown inconsistent results and VD supplementation has not yet been clearly shown to benefit the dysmetabolic state. Hence, more studies are needed to determine the actual role of VD deficiency in development of those disorders. Thus, targeting lifestyle through healthy diet and exercise should be the first treatment option that will affect both obesity-related dysmetabolic state and vitamin D deficiency, killing two birds with one stone. However, VD supplementation remains a treatment option in individuals with residual VD deficiency after weight loss.