Weight loss and Vitamin D - many studies

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31+ VitaminDWiki pages with WEIGHT AND (LOSS or LOST) in the title

This list is automatically updated

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Questions to Perplexity AI Jan 2025

When can vitamin D increase the loss of weight?

Vitamin D supplementation can enhance weight loss under specific conditions:
Vitamin D Status
Having adequate vitamin D levels appears crucial for weight loss success. People with higher baseline vitamin D levels tend to lose more weight when following a calorie-restricted diet  1 
For each 1 ng/mL increase in vitamin D levels, individuals can lose approximately 0.5 pounds more during weight loss efforts  1
Dosage and Duration
Effective Supplementation:

• 50,000 IU weekly for 6 weeks can lead to significant reductions in body mass index, weight, and waist circumference  5
• Reaching "replete" levels (32 ng/mL or greater) is crucial - women achieving these levels lost an average of 19 pounds over 12 months compared to 12 pounds in the placebo group  9

Weight Status Considerations
BMI Impact:
The effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation varies based on body weight:

• People with lower BMI (under 25) show better responses to vitamin D supplementation  2
• Overweight individuals may require higher doses due to different vitamin D metabolism  2  6

Mechanisms of Action
Vitamin D may support weight loss through several pathways:

• Reducing the formation of new fat cells  3
• Suppressing fat storage  3
• Increasing serotonin levels, which can help control appetite  3
• Boosting testosterone levels, which can enhance fat burning  3

Important Considerations
Weight loss of more than 15% of body weight can significantly increase vitamin D levels naturally  10 However, supplementation alone without dietary changes or exercise may not be sufficient for weight loss  7 The relationship between vitamin D and weight loss appears to be bidirectional, with obesity potentially driving low vitamin D levels rather than the reverse  6

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How does vitamin D affect fat distribution in the body?

Vitamin D has several significant effects on fat distribution and storage in the body:
Storage Patterns
The distribution of vitamin D varies across different fat compartments:

• Omental (visceral) fat contains higher concentrations of vitamin D compared to subcutaneous fat  1
• Approximately 75% of vitamin D is stored as cholecalciferol in adipose tissue  4
• 25(OH)D is more evenly distributed throughout the body, with about 35% in fat tissue  4

Impact on Fat Metabolism
Fat Cell Formation and Storage:

• Vitamin D can inhibit the formation of new fat cells  3
• It suppresses fat storage mechanisms in the body  3
• Low vitamin D levels may lead to increased fat accumulation through elevated parathyroid hormone levels and enhanced calcium entry into fat cells  2

Visceral Fat Relationship
A bidirectional relationship exists between vitamin D and visceral fat:

• Higher amounts of visceral fat are associated with lower vitamin D levels  9
• Women with inadequate vitamin D levels show higher body adiposity index and waist-to-height ratios  9
• Vitamin D deficiency particularly affects abdominal fat accumulation  9

Metabolic Effects
Enzymatic Activity:

• Fat tissue contains vitamin D-metabolizing enzymes, including CYP2R1, CYP27A1, and CYP2J2  4
• Visceral adipose tissue shows higher levels of CYP27A1 but lower levels of CYP27B1 compared to subcutaneous fat  4
• These enzymatic differences affect how vitamin D is processed in different fat deposits  4

_Obesity Considerations
In obese individuals:

• The enlarged adipose mass serves as a larger reservoir for vitamin D  1
• More vitamin D is required to saturate the increased fat depot  1
• This greater storage requirement may contribute to lower serum vitamin D levels in obese individuals  1

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Does vitamin D help increase weight loss during weight loss programs?

Proven Benefits
Women who achieved adequate vitamin D levels (32 ng/mL or greater) lost significantly more weight - approximately 19 pounds over 12 months compared to 12 pounds in the placebo group  6 When combined with a calorie-restricted diet, vitamin D supplementation of 50,000 IU weekly for 6 weeks led to significant reductions in body mass index, weight, and waist circumference  1
Synergistic Effects
Weight loss and vitamin D supplementation work together to:

• Decrease body fat mass
• Reduce inflammatory markers
• Lower monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) levels  2

Mechanisms of Action
Vitamin D supports weight loss through multiple pathways:

• Suppressing fat cell storage
• Reducing new fat cell formation
• Increasing serotonin levels, which helps control appetite
• Boosting testosterone levels, which can enhance fat burning  3

Dosage Considerations
A weekly dose of 50,000 IU of vitamin D for 12 weeks, combined with a weight reduction diet, shows significant improvements in:

• Overall weight loss
• Fat mass reduction
• Metabolic markers  2

Important Findings
While some studies show mixed results, meta-analyses indicate that vitamin D supplementation can decrease BMI by −0.32 kg/m² and waist circumference by −1.42 cm  4 The effectiveness appears most pronounced when vitamin D levels become replete, suggesting a threshold effect rather than a linear relationship  6

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Observations on Vitamin D needed to turbo-charge weight loss

1) Something must induce the body to lose weight - such as calorie restriction or exercise

2) Vitamin D has been used many times to turbo-charge lose weight
2a) Vitamin D appears to keep the weight off
2b) Vitamin D reduces muscle weight loss

3) It is doubtful that Vitamin D levels < 30 ng help
3a) Maintenance dosing of vitamin D, say 6,000 IU, will not typically not help weight loss for 3+ months
3b) Large doses of vitamin D, say 50,000 IU weekly, should result in helpful levels of vitammin D in 3 weeks
3c) Can get to a useful level in just 3 days after taking 50,000 IU daily for 3 days

4) I suspect that keeping the vitamin D level >30 ng will after the weight loss will keep the weight off
4a) 50,000 IU of Vitamin D once every 2 weeks is probably enough

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Half of Americans have some interest in Weight Loss drugs- Aug 2023

MD Edge

• "A recent survey of more than 1,000 U.S. adults showed that
  • 18% were “somewhat interested” in taking a “safe, effective” weight loss drug,
  • 27% were “very interested,” and
  • 4% said they were already using such an agent,
    • together constituting 49% of the surveyed adults."

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VitaminDWiki – Permanent Weight Loss - lots of Vitamin D then water-fast (2 people so far) - July 2023

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VitaminDWiki – Overview Obesity and Vitamin D contains

• FACT: People who are obese have less vitamin D in their blood
• FACT: Obese need a higher dose of vitamin D to get to the same level of vit D
• FACT: When obese people lose weight the vitamin D level in their blood increases
• FACT: Adding Calcium, perhaps in the form of fortified milk, often reduces weight
• FACT: 168 trials for vitamin D intervention of obesity as of Dec 2021
• FACT: Less weight gain by senior women with > 30 ng of vitamin D
• FACT: Dieters lost additional 5 lbs if vitamin D supplementation got them above 32 ng - RCT
• FACT: Obese lost 3X more weight by adding $10 of Vitamin D
• FACT: Those with darker skins were more likely to be obese Sept 2014
• OBSERVATION: Low Vitamin D while pregnancy ==> more obese child and adult
• OBSERVATION: Many mammals had evolved to add fat and vitamin D in the autumn
  • and lose both in the Spring - unfortunately humans have forgotten to lose the fat in the Spring
• SPECULATION: Low vitamin D might be one of the causes of obesity – several studies
• SUGGESTION: Probably need more than 4,000 IU to lose weight if very low on vitamin D due to
    risk factors such as overweight, age, dark skin, live far from equator,shut-in, etc.
• Obesity category has 443 items

See also: Weight loss and Vitamin D - many studies   Child Obesity and Vitamin D - many studies   Obesity, Virus, and Vitamin D - many studies
Obese need more Vitamin D

• Normal weight     Obese     (50 ng = 125 nanomole)

Click here for 2014 study

• Normal weight     Obese     (50 ng = 125 nanomole)

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VitaminDWiki – Obesity is associated with low Vitamin D (and treated by D as well) – Aug 2019 has:

Fast weight loss by Obese Adults: Summary of the data as of Sept 2019
1) 50,000 IU Vitamin D weekly for at least 6 months
   If gut problems, should use a gut-friendly form of vitamin D
2) Add calorie restriction diet and light exercise after ~2 months*
   * Vitamin D levels must be above 30ng/ml to help with weight loss
   * Start losing weight 2 months sooner if take a 50,000 IU daily for a week
3) More weight loss if also add Magnesium or cofactors
   30% Improved Vitamin D response with Magnesium - a Vitamin D Cofactor
   Note: Magnesium reduces weight loss by itself as well
   20% improved vitamin D response if also add Omega-3 a Vitamin D Cofactor
  Note: Omega-3 reduces weight loss by itself as well
4) More weight loss if also improve activation of Vitamin D Receptor
   Vitamin D Receptor activator: 0-30% improved Vitamin D response
   Obesity 1.5 X more likely if poor Vitamin D Receptor – meta-analysis Nov 2019
Update Dec 2019 - Dr. Greger plant-based eating (not diet) for both weight loss and health.
  His book does not mention Vitamin D nor Adenovirus

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Does obesity vary with lattitude? asked Perplexity AI Aug 2024

Based on the provided search results, there does appear to be a relationship between obesity prevalence and latitude.
The key findings are:

1. An analysis of gut microbes from over 1,000 people worldwide found that people living in northern latitudes had a greater proportion of obesity-related bacteria in their guts compared to those living farther south. Researchers hypothesize this could be an evolutionary adaptation, with obesity-linked bacteria being better at extracting energy from food which may have aided survival in colder northern climates in the past.
2. A study across U.S. counties found that a 1-standard-deviation (11°F) decrease in January temperature, or a 1-standard-deviation (5°F) increase in July temperature, predicted a 0.7% increase in county obesity prevalence, after controlling for confounding factors. This suggests obesity prevalence increases in areas with colder winters and hotter summers.
   (Note: Hot summer ==> Avoid the sun with indoor air conditioning)
3. However, a study in Peru found an inverse association between altitude and obesity - Peruvian individuals living at higher altitudes had a lower prevalence of obesity compared to those living closer to sea level, even after adjusting for multiple covariates. The biological mechanisms are not well understood but could relate to differences in temperature, diet, or physical activity levels at high altitudes.
   (Note higher altitude ==> more UVB ==> more vitamin D from the sun)
4. Globally, the prevalence of obesity has increased across countries at all levels of development in recent decades, indicating the obesity problem is not simply a function of latitude or income level. However, the global distribution of obesity does show geographical variation.

In summary, while the relationship is complex and influenced by many factors, the available evidence points to a general trend of higher obesity prevalence in northern latitudes with colder climates compared to areas closer to the equator. More research is needed to fully understand the geographical variation in obesity and the underlying mechanisms.

8 references online