Is THIS Sabotaging Your Vitamin D Levels?
You know what happens when you pour water into a bucket full of holes, right?
You up with an empty bucket no matter how much water you dump into it.
Well, the same is true of your body’s vitamin D supply.
Even if you’re loading up on all the D you think you could possibly need—whether it’s from the sun, diet, or supplements—you may STILL end up not getting enough.
Because scientists say, they’ve pinpointed something that could be putting holes in your vitamin D bucket.
Body Mass Index (BMI) measures body fat based on height and weight. And according to a recent study, your BMI impacts how well your body absorbs vitamin D.
When researchers compared vitamin D status with BMI, they found that folks with a BMI of 30 or more had a greater chance of vitamin D deficiency due to malabsorption.
Even worse, that same malabsorption issue meant they were ALSO less likely to correct the deficiency with supplements.
On the flip side, those with a BMI below 25 were less likely to be deficient in vitamin D. But if they happened to be running low, they were also more likely to be able to resolve the deficiency with supplementation.
This study didn’t examine WHY higher BMI could impact the body’s vitamin D response. But one potential reason is variations in parathyroid hormone activity.
Folks who are overweight are at higher risk for elevated parathyroid hormone levels. And earlier research has found high parathyroid levels and vitamin D deficiency go hand in hand.
This is yet another reason why loading up on supplements isn’t the answer to your health problems. Instead, take a whole-body approach, including working towards a healthier weight.
When you do, you’ll get more benefits from ALL of your efforts to improve your health.
P.S. You know vitamin D is critical for bone and immune health. But that’s merely scratching the surface. CLICK HERE to find out how this vital vitamin is good for you from head to toe.
SOURCE:
“Association of Body Weight With Response to Vitamin D Supplementation and Metabolism.” JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(1):e2250681. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.50681
