Low Vitamin D Linked to Weight Gain in Older Women - Food Product Design

PORTLAND, Ore.â€"Older women with insufficient levels of vitamin D have a higher chance of gaining weight over time compared to those who have adequate levels, according to a new study published in the Journal of Women’s Health.

The study of more than 4,600 women ages 65 and older found that over nearly five years, those with insufficient levels of vitamin D in their blood gained about two pounds more than those with adequate levels of the vitamin.

"This is one of the first studies to show that women with low levels of vitamin D gain more weight, and although it was only two pounds, over time that can add up," said study author Erin LeBlanc, MD, an endocrinologist and researcher at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research. "Nearly 80% of women in our study had insufficient levels of vitamin D. A primary source of this important vitamin is sunlight, and as modern societies move indoors, continuous vitamin D insufficiency may be contributing to chronic weight gain."

The study was conducted among older women who, for the most part, were not trying to lose weight--though some of them did so as a natural result of aging. About 60% of the 4,659 women in the study remained at a stable weight (within 5% of their starting weight) over the 4.5-year study period, 27% lost more than 5% of their body weight, and 12% gained more than 5% of their body weight.

Most women in the study (78%) had less than 30 nanograms per millimeter (ng/ml) of vitamin D in their bloodâ€"a level defined as sufficient. The women had higher baseline weight to begin withâ€"148.6 poundsâ€"compared to 141.6 pounds for women whose vitamin D levels were 30 ng/ml or above. Insufficient levels had no association with weight changes in the entire group of women, or in the group that lost weight; however, the group of 571 women who gained weight, those with insufficient vitamin D levels gained 18.5 pounds over five years compared to women who had sufficient vitamin D levels. That group gained 16.4 pounds over the same period.