Beverly Monical

One Vitamin Helps You Lose Weight

You’re all set to begin your new weight loss program. The diet book has been read, the treadmill is working and you just bought cute new workout shorts. One more thing: Go to your doctor and get your Vitamin D levels checked.

The level of vitamin D in your body at the start of a low-calorie diet can predict your weight loss success–or failure, according to a study from the University of Minnesota. “Vitamin D deficiency is associated with obesity, but it is not clear if inadequate vitamin D causes obesity or the other way around,” said the study’s lead author, Dr. Shalamar Sibley, an assistant professor of medicine.

The study: The circulating blood levels of vitamin D were measured in 38 overweight men and women before and after they followed a diet plan for 11 weeks consisting of 750 calories a day fewer than their estimated total needs. Each participant’s fat distribution was measured with DXA (bone densitometry) scans.

The results: On average, the participants had vitamin D levels that many experts would consider to be in the insufficient range. But Sibley discovered that the baseline, or pre-diet, vitamin D levels predicted weight loss in a linear relationship.

For every increase of 1 ng/mL in level of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol–the precursor form of vitamin D and a commonly used indicator of vitamin D status–the dieters lost almost a half pound more on their calorie-restricted diet.

For each 1-ng/mL increase in the active or “hormonal” form of vitamin D (1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol), they lost nearly one-quarter pound more.

In addition, higher baseline vitamin D levels predicted greater loss of abdominal fat. “Our results suggest the possibility that the addition of vitamin D to a reduced-calorie diet will lead to better weight loss,” Sibley said.The study findings were presented at The Endocrine Society’s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.