February 05, 2013
Obesity causes drop in vitamin D levels
Being
obese lowers levels of vitamin D in the blood, shows a study
published today by scientists we fund.
We need your
help to continue our life-saving research
Vitamin D is involved in important processes
in the body. But researchers from UK universities, led by a
team at University College London, have discovered that being obese
can lower levels of the vitamin.
The scientists looked in a large group of
people to work out if obesity actually causes vitamin D levels to
drop. They found that it did.
Our Research Advisor Dr Shannon Amoils said: “We already know
that people with a higher body mass index have lower levels of
vitamin D – and this research now shows that being obese can lead
to these lower levels.
“The study gives us all another good
reason to eat healthily and keep off the extra pounds. As
well as lowering your risk of heart
disease, people who are a healthy
weight are more likely to have higher levels of this important
vitamin, which is needed to keep your bones healthy.”
The research was published in journal PLoS Medicine.