Evidence suggests that a large proportion the individuals from Western nations have insufficient vitamin D levels in their plasma. That is to say that although thy do not show signs of deficiency, they do not have optimal levels of vitamin D. In the past suboptimal vitamin D was assumed to cause the only the bone disease osteomalacia and rickets, but evidence is accumulating that vitamins D, actually a steroid hormone, plays a vital role in the modulation of the immune system and in glucose metabolism. Insufficiency of vitamin D is now linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and various autoimmune disorders. Of particular interest to nutritional scientists is the research that shows a link between vitamin D insufficiency and insulin intolerance. This has lead may researchers to postulate that vitamin D insufficiency may in some way be linked to weight gain and perhaps obesity.
Researchers1 have investigated the association between plasma vitamin D and anthropometric indicators of adiposity by using a prospective study of 479 schoolchildren from Bogota, Columbia. Subjects (age 5-12 years) had their plasma 25(OH)D status measured at baseline and for the following 30 months anthropometric measurements were taken. The results showed that vitamin D deficient (25(OH)D <50 nmol/L) school children had a 0.1 / year greater increase in BMI when compared to school children who were sufficient in vitamin D (25(OH)D ≥75 nmol/L). Vitamin D deficient schoolchildren also had a 0.03 / year greater increase in subscapular to triceps skin fold thickness ratio and a 0.8 cm / year greater increase in waist circumference than vitamin D sufficient schoolchildren. Vitamin D deficiency also was associated with slower linear growth in girls. The results suggest that vitamin D deficiency may be associated with weight gain and support evidence from previous studies.
RbD
