A new study showing a link between vitamin D levels and successful weight loss was presented at the Endocrine Society’s 91st Annual Meeting in Washington DC.

This study showed that a patient’s vitamin D levels at the beginning of a low calorie diet were able to predict weight loss success.

 In this study lead author Shalamar Sibley MD MPH and her colleagues at the University of Minnesota, looked at whether starting vitamin D blood levels before a weight-loss diet would subsequently affect the weight loss.

The researchers measured blood levels of vitamin D in 38 overweight men and women before and after the subjects followed a specific diet for 11 weeks.

In general, the patients in the study had vitamin D levels that many experts would be consider to be in the insufficient range according to Dr. Sibley. Nevertheless they found that vitamin D levels at the start of the diet predicted weight loss in a linear relationship. Specifically for every increase of 1 ng/ml of vitamin D the patients ended up losing almost half a pound more on their specific diet.

In addition, a higher starting level of Vitamin D predicted a greater weight loss of  abdominal fat.

Dr. Sibley was quoted as saying "Our results suggest the possibility that the addition of vitamin D to a reduced calorie diet will lead to better weight loss.” She went on to say "Our findings need to be followed up by the right kind of controlled clinical trial to determine if there is a role for vitamin D supplementation in helping people lose weight when they attempt to cut back on what they eat"

Once again I certainly agree that a prospective trial of using vitamin D in treating people for weight-loss is necessary. But I also maintain that there is nothing wrong with normalizing and optimizing every patient’s vitamin D level when they seek help from their physician.

Reference