Larger waistlines linked to higher risk of Vit D deficiency

Larger waistline could be red flag for vitamin D deficiency

Higher levels of belly fat is associated with lower levels of vitamin D in obese individuals, according to a study presented at the European Society of Endocrinology annual meeting, ECE 2018

The study reports that vitamin D levels are lower in individuals with higher levels of belly fat. It suggests that individuals, particularly those who are overweight with larger waistlines should have their vitamin D levels checked. This could avoid any potentially health damaging effects.

According to the National Family Health Survey 31.3 percent or almost a third of urban Indian women are obese, while 15 percent of rural women are overweight

According to WHO, obesity has doubled worldwide since 1980. Obesity and overweight contributes  an estimated 2.8 million deaths per year worldwide. Generally, obesity is caused by sedentary lifestyles – physical inactivity, unhealthy diet and eating habits.

Vitamin D deficiency is typically associated with calcium deficiency and impaired bone health but in recent years has also been linked with higher risks of asthma, acute respiratory tract infections, auto-immune diseases and cardiovascular diseases. A link between low vitamin D levels and obesity has previously been reported but whether this effect is more associated with the type and location of fat was undetermined.

In this study Rachida Rafiq and colleagues from the VU University Medical Center and Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands examined how the amount of total body fat and abdominal fat measured in participants of the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study related to their vitamin D levels. After adjusting for a number of possible influencing factors, including chronic disease, alcohol intake and levels of physical activity, they found that the amounts of both total and abdominal fat were associated with lower vitamin D levels in women. However, in men abdominal fat and liver fat, was associated with lower vitamin D levels. In all cases the greater the amount of belly fat, the lower the levels of detected vitamin D.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-4), one-fifth of Indian women, or 20.7 percent to be precise, in the age group of 15-49 are overweight in comparison to 12.6 per cent during the NFHS-3 – a jump of nearly 60 percent. It also showed that 31.3 percent or almost a third of urban women are obese, while 15 percent of rural women are overweight. The figures for men showed that 18.6 percent of men in the age group of 15-49 years are obese – up from 9.3 in 2005-06.

Indians are categorised as obese once BMI crosses 25 and not 30 because of their body types that tend to store more abdominal fat. BMI is an estimate of body fat based on weight relative to height.

Rachida Rafiq commented, “Although we did not measure vitamin D deficiency in our study, the strong relationship between increasing amounts of abdominal fat and lower levels of vitamin D suggests that individuals with larger waistlines are at a greater risk of developing deficiency, and should consider having their vitamin D levels checked.”