MSG induces weight gain in female rats not supplemented with active vitamin D – April 2017

Protective Role of Co-administration of Vitamin D in Monosodium Glutamate Induced Obesity in Female Rats

Journal of the National Medical Association, online 14 April 2017, http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnma.2017.03.006
Padmanabha Nandana, Arun Kumar Nayanatara, Ph.D.a, , , Roopesh Poojary, M.Sc.a, K. Bhagyalakshmi, M.D.a, M. Nirupama, M.D.b, Rekha D. Kini, Ph.D.a

Purpose
Obesity in females is an emerging health problem. The consumption of MSG has been considered as a risk factor for obesity. The tastemakers in Chinese and fast foods, such as fish sauce and soy sauce, contain very high levels of glutamate. The deficiency of Vitamin D is associated with obesity and metabolic syndrome. Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effect of co-administration of Vitamin D on body weight control in MSG-induced obese rats.

Methods
Eighteen adult female Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups equally. The first group (Group I) was treated with saline served as the control; the second group (Group II) received a daily oral dose of 5 g/kg Body weight of MSG; the third group (Group III) received the same dose of MSG along with calcitriol (0.2 mcg/kg BW) for 15 days.

Results
The body weight, food, and water intake were measured. MSG treated rats showed a significant increase (P < 0.001) in the body weight, food, and water intake but significant decrease (P < 0.001) was observed in the rats treated with MSG along with Vitamin D.

Conclusion
Ingestion of Vitamin D suppresses body weight gain in MSG-induced obese rats. Active agents in Vitamin D are useful for the prevention and treatment of obesity. Foods tested with high glutamate levels can be fortified with minute quantities of calcitriol to combat the adverse effects without compromising on the taste of the food processed. The fortification of junk foods might also combat largely prevalent Vitamin D deficiency in India.

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See also VitaminDWiki

• Low-calorie diets mimicked by Vitamin D – Dec 2016
• Vitamin D activates the hypothalamus (in rodents) to reduce weight and diabetes– May 2016
• Those low on vitamin D were 2.4X more likely to gain weight – June 2013
• Dieters lost 5 more pounds if achieved more than 32 ng of vitamin D – RCT March 2014
• Overweight and obese lost 12 lbs with vitamin D in 6 months– RCT May 2015

Overview Obesity and Vitamin D contains the following summary

• 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 442 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

See also web

• MSG linked to weight gain 2011
  "Americans' typical daily intake of MSG is estimated to be only about half a gram. . . "
  "In the latest research, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, He and his colleagues followed more than 10,000 adults in China for about 5.5 years on average."
  "Men and women who ate the most MSG (a median of 5 grams a day) were about 30 percent more likely to become overweight by the end of the study than those who ate the least amount of the flavoring (less than a half-gram a day), . . . "

Note: the study on this page gave rats about 50X more MGS per body weight than the Chinese.

Note: suspect that regular (non-activated) Vitamin D would also have stopped MSG weight gain

Publisher wants $32 for the PDF