The Link Between Vitamin D and Weight Loss

I was reading some news online a couple of days ago and saw an article about a new study that has found a link between vitamin D and weight loss. Although this study is still just speculating the weight loss benefits of taking vitamin D, there is no doubt that this vitamin is excellent for your health. So I thought today I would take a closer look at the “sunshine vitamin”, Vitamin D, and its role not only in weight loss but overall health.

Recent studies have found a link between Vitamin D and weight loss that suggests the "sunshine vitamin" may help many to maintain or lose weight.

You won’t find vitamin D to be a huge breakthrough in your efforts to lose weight, but you should consider making sure you have enough in your diet. As with other things in life, you should understand that when there is no one magical bullet for a problem, you can still fight with a whole lot of little ones. Vitamin D might just be one of those tiny bullets that, when used with others, can help you in your dieting endeavor. Vitamin D also helps with other areas of your health, so you can get double the benefit of making sure you get enough.

Vitamin D comes from the sun, and you can also find it in supplement form. Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium, which is why you find it as a supplement that comes right in your jug of milk from the store (see the article “Dairy Fats and Calcium Absorption“). It is not hard to get your daily requirements. You only have to be out in the sun for an hour each day to get what you need, but that is not always possible for all people, nor is it all that good for your skin. To make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D in your diet it is recommended that you take a supplement or eat foods that naturally contain it, such as cod liver oil, salmon, tuna, sardines, milk, and eggs. You can also find a number of products, such as breakfast cereals, that are fortified with Vitamin D.

Vitamin D can help slow weight gain in women who have menopause. A study done of women in the Women’s Health Initiative suggested that any woman taking 400 IU (internal units) gained less weight than those that did not take the vitamin D supplement. This study was done over a period of seven years with 36,000 women between the ages of 50 and 70. Weight remained the same for those taking vitamin D, and some lost, especially when they were not getting enough calcium in their diets.

Other studies have pointed to vitamin D deficiencies being connected to conditions like insulin resistance and PCOS (Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome) (for more information about this connection, see the post “Weight Loss, Insulin Resistance and Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome“. These conditions can be one in the same, but many times, they can also be separate or lead to the other. In any case, someone with either condition tends to gain weight easily and lose very little, even with great dieting efforts. It is believed that a vitamin D deficiency could play a role in this.

No matter what your age, vitamin D is essential to good health, and can help women maintain their body weight, or even lose some extra pounds. It won’t be all anyone needs to do to lose weight, but it is one small tool that can make a diet success that may fail otherwise. If you are struggling with losing weight, take a look at how much vitamin D you are getting, and if you think you are not getting enough, spend more time outside, drink more fortified milk, take Vitamin D supplements or eat more foods that naturally contain it.

Other Related Posts You May Find Interesting: “Best Foods for Weight Loss“, “Weight Loss Vitamins In Your Diet” and “Is there something Fishy about the Sardine Diet?“