Vitamin D and Weight Loss

Vitamin D For Weight Loss?

Research is showing vitamin D deficiency is associated with developing obesity, and with health problems linked to obesity. The latest on this subject comes from a study presented at the 2015 European Congress on Obesity, which demonstrated that correcting levels of vitamin D could help you lose weight provided that tests find that you actually are vitamin D deficient. That’s not a very high bar to reach considering that vitamin D deficiency is widespread in the United States.

Your doctor can easily test your levels which should fall in the range of 40ng/ml - 60ng/ml. If you are anywhere below 40ng/ml, you might want to consider supplementation. We can get vitamin D from foods such as fortified milk and cereals as well as eggs, salmon, tuna and mackerel, but the amounts found naturally in most foods are not significant. Sun exposure is the best way to maintain adequate levels; ultraviolet rays trigger vitamin D synthesis in the skin. In spite of the ability to make our own vitamin D, most people in the U.S. need to take supplemental vitamin D, especially seniors, as the ability to synthesize it in the skin declines with age.

If you are a sunscreen user, remember sunscreen is blocking any sunlight trying to penetrate your skin. It is now being considered a hindrance to our vitamin D absorption and possibly contributing to skin cancer due to some of the chemical ingredients found in particular sunscreens, Consider getting your sun exposure without sunscreen in the early morning hours or late afternoon when the sun is at it’s least dangerous.

Not only are you benefiting from possible weight loss with more vitamin D in your life, but also gaining healthy bones and teeth, and possibly preventing diabetes and cancer. Well worth looking into!

*Always check with your doctor before changing any supplement/medicine routine.