Member-only story
The Nuance
Can Taking Vitamin D Help With Weight Loss?
The science behind the vitamin’s relationship to weight is shaky
Every week, the Nuance will go beyond the basics, offering a deep and researched look at the latest science and expert insights on a buzzed-about health topic.
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient, which means your body needs it but can’t make it without help. Traditionally the vitamin’s perceived importance was relegated to bone health. Inadequate vitamin D levels can lead to rickets in children and osteoporosis in adults.
But the past decade has witnessed a surge in vitamin D research, and much of it suggests that vitamin D is more multifunctional and crucial than previously believed. A 2014 review in the journal Frontiers in Physiology assembled evidence that low vitamin D status is associated with a range of inflammatory diseases—from arthritis and asthma to inflammatory bowel disease and lupus.
Research has also suggested that the vitamin may have a relationship to weight. “We know that individuals classified as overweight or obese tend to have lower blood levels of vitamin D, and this is true even after adjusting for sun exposure and intake of vitamin D supplements,” says Dr. Anne McTiernan, a research professor at the University of…
