There seems no end to the flow of news about new health benefits of vitamin D supplementation. Recently, scientists from Michigan University in the U.S. showed that children who lack vitamin D accumulate fat around the waist and gain weight faster than children who get enough vitamin D.

Accumulation of fat around the waist, called apple shape, is particularly critical because this type of obesity is associated with increased risk of not only type 2-diabetes but also other chronic diseases later in life, including cardiovascular disease.\nIn the study researchers followed 479 schoolchildren aged between 5 and 12 from Bogota in Colombia over a period of 30 months. Children’s BMI, waist circumference, subscapular-to-triceps skinfold-thickness ratio, and vitamin D status were measured. Surprisingly for a subtropical country it was found that 10% of the children had vitamin D deficiency, and 46% had low values.

Research results suggest that low levels of vitamin D in childhood increases the risk of developing obesity, which in turn is likely to follow them all their life.

Ref. Gilbert-Diamond D, et al. Vitamin D deficiency and anthropometric indicators of adiposity in school-age children: a prospective study. Am Clin Nutr. 2010;92(6):1446-51.

Källa. Pharma Nord