Will a lack of Vitamin D make you gain weight?
You know how Vitamin D affects your overall health, but what about body composition? Check out this study.
In 2020, scientists recruited 47 college athletes to test the fat-loss effects of training and taking 1,000 IU of vitamin D at the same time. They conducted blood tests and scans over the three-month study, but a month into the project, COVID-19 hit. Gyms closed and the previously healthy athletes stopped training. But 27 of them continued taking their vitamin D supplements.
After three months, the scientists retested the athletes to see what had happened. The athletes who had not taken Vitamin D during the shutdown had increased their body fat percentage by 1.9 points, while the athletes who had taken Vitamin D had increased their body fat percentage by only 0.2 points.(1)
This is a big difference, and the scientists concluded that: “In situations of reduced sports activity, vitamin D supplementation may have a favorable effect on the maintenance of body composition in athletes.”
Were they aware of something?
This study had some limitations due to the lockdown. Fortunately, other research on vitamin D and fat loss lends credibility to this particular study. Arunabh et al. found that body fat percentage was inversely related to serum vitamin D3 levels. (2) Another study found that increasing vitamin D levels through supplementation led to body fat loss. (3)
Adds the latest research on Vitamin D (Purchase on Amazon) Taking Vitamin D is a very compelling argument because of its role in maintaining fat percentage even when you are inactive.
Other reasons why athletes should take vitamins
Vitamin D supplements can help you lose body fat or maintain it, but the benefits of this vitamin go even further, especially for athletes.
- Vitamin D and Skeletal Muscle: Optimal Vitamin D levels improve muscle protein synthesis, jump height, ATP production, and overall ability to perform both aerobic and anaerobic exercise.
- Vitamin D and Lung Function: Low Vitamin D levels reduce lung capacity, but optimal Vitamin D levels ensure healthy lung structure, lung capacity, optimal oxygen exchange, and the ability to complete tasks without wheezing.
- Vitamin D and the Heart: Without adequate vitamin D, your arteries stiffen and your chances of developing atherosclerosis increase dramatically. Your circulatory system starts to become as flexible as a cheap garden hose.
- Vitamin D and Sex: Women with higher vitamin D levels have higher circulating levels of estradiol, testosterone, FSH, LH, and DHEA, which logically translates into enhanced orgasms. Similarly, vitamin D supplementation significantly increases testosterone levels in men (by 53.5 nmol/l), according to at least one study.
Problems with Vitamin D Supplements
Vitamin D cannot function without adequate magnesium in the body, at least as far as the immune system is concerned. It is difficult to significantly increase vitamin D levels in the body without magnesium facilitating this.
The majority of Americans (some say 80%) are magnesium deficient, and the situation is even more serious in athletes, who lose it through sweat. In fact, it’s likely that this widespread magnesium deficiency is the cause of most vitamin D deficiencies in the first place.
Two clinical studies in patients with magnesium deficiency found that while magnesium infusion alone only slightly increased levels of 25(OH)D (a prehormone produced in the liver by hydroxylation of vitamin D3) and 1,25(OH)2D (the active form of vitamin D in the body), the combination of magnesium infusion and oral vitamin D significantly increased serum levels of 25(OH)D and 1,25(OH)2D (4, 5).
Two other studies in patients with vitamin D rickets found that magnesium supplementation reduced resistance to vitamin D treatment, whereas intramuscular injections of high doses of vitamin D alone (up to 600,000 IU) had no effect.
what will you do
Make sure you get enough magnesium in your diet and take a vitamin D supplement. (Purchase on Amazon).
For magnesium, eat lots of Swiss chard and seaweed. Yeah, most people aren’t going to eat the amount of food needed to get 1 gram of magnesium (say, 10 cups of seaweed). To be on the safe side, consider taking a supplement. Elitepro (Purchase on Amazon) A definite choice.
When it comes to vitamin D, therapeutic levels are difficult to achieve or maintain even with the help of magnesium, which is why taking microencapsulated vitamin D3 is recommended. (Purchase on Amazon) (Coleocalciferol) is a good idea. The vitamin exists as tiny “beads” that disperse in water. This microencapsulated vitamin D3 is the most bioavailable and longest lasting form. Its effects last up to 14 days, making it far better than the oil-based vitamin D3 supplements that dominate the market.
Most experts recommend up to 5,000 IU per day. Biotest’s D Fix contains microencapsulated Vitamin D. (Purchase on Amazon)D Fix technology solves the biggest problem with Vitamin D supplements: absorption.
References
- Isao Kawashima et al. “Effects of vitamin D supplementation on body fat mass in elite male university athletes.” Nutr Metab. 20211;18:51.
- Arunabh S et al. “Body fat mass and 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels in healthy women.” J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Jan;88(1):157-61. PubMed: 12519845.
- Salehpour A et al. “A 12-week double-blind randomized clinical trial of vitamin D3 supplementation on body fat mass in healthy overweight and obese women.” Nutr J. 2012 Sep 22;11:78. PubMed: 22998754.
- Dai Q et al. “Magnesium status and supplementation affect vitamin D status and metabolism: results of a randomized trial.” Am J Clin Nutr. 2018 Dec 1;108(6):1249-1258. PubMed: 30541089.
- Rosanoff A et al. “Essential nutrient interactions: does low or suboptimal magnesium intake interact with vitamin D and calcium intake?” Adv Nutr. 2016 Jan 15;7(1):25-43. PubMed: 26773013.
