Obesity Associated With Vitamin D Deficiency

A study by researchers in Norway suggests that the reason overweight or obese people have lower levels of vitamin D in their blood is because the vitamin is diverted to fat cells, where it is absorbed and prevented from circulating. A vitamin D deficiency then occurs -- leading potentially to a variety of health problems -- even when obese people take in sufficient amounts from the sun, foods or supplements. The researchers studied 1,779 patients with excess body weight, finding a correlation between higher weight and lower amounts of the hormonal form of vitamin D known as 1,25(OH)2D. That compound maintains proper calcium levels in the body, and a deficiency has been associated with cancer, multiple sclerosis, and cardiovascular disease.