Obesity Escalates Risk of Vitamin D Deficiency

Excess fat in the body can increase the risk of vitamin D deficiency, a new study says.

A team of researchers from the University College London initiated to analyze the link between vitamin D deficiency and obesity, particularly to check whether the excess fat in the body leads to vitamin D deficiency or vitamin D deficiency leads to weight gain.

For the study, lead investigator Dr. Elina Hypponen and colleagues included about 42,000 participants. Genetic markers of the participants were used to reach a conclusion. They found a 10 percent increase in body mass index (BMI) leading to a 4 percent decline in vitamin D levels of the body. The findings were re-confirmed later on another group of 123,000 participants.

Vitamin D is essential for bone growth in children, and a deficiency can lead to rickets, a bone-softening disease. Previous studies have shown that maintaining a sufficient level of vitamin D protects children against various diseases, including respiratory infections during winter and tooth decay.

Some of the natural sources of vitamin D, apart from sunshine, include shiitake and button mushrooms, oily fish (tuna, mackerel, trout, herring, sardines, kipper, carp, anchovies and orange roughy), beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks.

Published in the journal PLOS Medicine, the findings come at a time when more than 17 percent of children and teens in the U.S. are obese.

"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," Dr. Hypponen said in a news release. "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."

The current study re-confirms a previous study that appeared in Pediatrics, December 2012. Researchers had found that overweight or obese children are at a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency than others.