An unexpected benefit of losing weight...higher vitamin D levels.

This is an interesting finding...losing weight...ie losing fat..frees up vitamin D that is sequestered in the fat..and results in modest increases in serum levels of the vitamin. You know that vitamin D is protective against heart disease and several cancers...here's another reason to hop up and onto that treadmill...and watch your calories.


The study reports that Circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations in postmenopausal women are directly associated with weight loss, whether achieved through lower caloric intake or increased physical activity, according to the results of a randomized controlled trial reported online May 25 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.


Low concentrations of circulating vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, are common with obesity and may represent a potential mechanism explaining the elevated risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular outcomes observed in individuals who are overweight or obese. A greater degree of weight loss, achieved through either a reduced-calorie diet or increased exercise, is associated with increased circulating 25(OH)D concentrations.

The National Institutes of Health and National Cancer Institute supported this study.

"Effects of weight loss on serum vitamin D in postmenopausal women." 

Am J Clin Nutr. Published online May 25, 2011