Expanding waistline? Check your vitamin D levels.

A study from the Netherlands reveals that people with higher levels of belly fat and larger waistlines are more likely to have lower levels of vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is a widespread problem, with more than a billion people worldwide thought to be deficient, including 40% of the US population.

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to poor bone health, but it may also have a role to play in respiratory tract infections and autoimmune disease, among others. Recent studies have also found that vitamin D might protect against heart failure, diabetes, and cancer, and that vitamin D deficiency causes hair loss.

Now it seems where fat is stored on the body correlates with vitamin D levels.

The Netherlands study found that in women, both total and abdominal fat were associated with lower vitamin D levels, but that abdominal fat had the greatest impact. In men, however, lower vitamin D levels were significantly linked with fat in the liver and abdomen. Across both sexes, more belly fat predicted lower levels of vitamin D.

Clearly people with a large waistline should check their vitamin D levels, but where more research is required is to determine whether a deficiency causes fat to be stored in the abdominal region, or whether belly fat decreases levels of vitamin D?
My take? Don’t wait to find out – take action! Eat more real food while cutting down on processed foods to help with your waistline and weight management.

Make eating real food Just Routine