HEALTH NEWS

Study Title:

Lack of Vitamin D in Young Women Causes Weight Gain and Stunts Growth

Study Abstract

Context: Vitamin D insufficiency has now reached epidemic proportions and has been linked to low bone mineral density (BMD), increased risk of fracture and obesity in adults. However, this relationship has not been well characterized in young adults. Objective: To examine the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD), anthropometric measures, body fat (BF) and bone structure at the time of peak bone mass. Design: Cross-sectional study. Outcome Measures and Subjects: Anthropometric measures, serum 25OHD radioimmunoassay values, and CT and DXA values of BF and bone structure in 90 post-pubertal females, ages 16-22, residing in California. Results: Approximately 59% of subjects were 250HD insufficient (/=30 ng/ml). Strong negative relationships were present between serum 25OHD and CT measures of visceral and subcutaneous fat and DXA values of BF. In addition, weight, body mass, and imaging measures of adiposity at all sites were significantly lower in women with normal serum 250HD concentrations than women with insufficient levels. In contrast, no relationship was observed between circulating 25OHD concentrations and measures of BMD at any site. Unexpectedly, there was a positive correlation between 25OHD levels and height. Conclusions: We found that vitamin D insufficiency is associated with increased BF and with decreased height but not with changes in peak bone mass.

From press release:

Insufficient vitamin D can stunt growth and foster weight gain during puberty, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Even in sun-drenched California, where scientists from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and the University of Southern California conducted their study, vitamin D deficiency was found to cause higher body mass and shorter stature in girls at the peak of their growing spurt.

While lack of vitamin D is common in adults and has been linked to diseases such as osteoporosis, cancer and obesity, until this study, little was known about the consequences of insufficient vitamin D in young people. The research team measured vitamin D in girls aged 16 to 22 using a simple blood test (25-hydroxy vitamin D). They also assessed body fat and height to determine how vitamin D deficiency could affect young women's health.

"The high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in young people living in a sun-rich area was surprising," says study lead author, Richard Kremer, co-director of the Musculoskeletal Axis of the MUHC. "We found young women with vitamin D insufficiency were significantly heavier, with a higher body mass index and increased abdominal fat, than young women with normal levels."

Vitamin D fosters growth, healthier weight

The researchers examined 90 Caucasian and Hispanic girls and discovered that young women with normal vitamin D levels were on average taller than peers deficient in vitamin D. Yet in contrast to what's been previously reported in older women, their investigation found no association between lack of vitamin D and bone strength.

"Although vitamin D is now frequently measured in older adults, due to a higher level of awareness in this population, it is rarely measured in young people – especially healthy adolescents," says Dr. Kremer.

"Clinicians need to identify vitamin D levels in younger adults who are at risk by using a simple and useful blood test," says the co-author, Dr. Vicente Gilsanz, head of musculoskeletal imaging at the Children's Hospital Los Angeles of the University of Southern California.

"Because lack of vitamin D can cause fat accumulation and increased risk for chronic disorders later in life, further investigation is needed to determine whether vitamin D supplements could have potential benefits in the healthy development of young people," added Dr. Gilsanz.

Study Information

Kremer R, Campbell PP, Reinhardt T, Gilsanz V.
Vitamin D Status and its Relationship to Body Fat, Final Height, and Peak Bone Mass in Young Women.
J Clin Endocrinol Metab.
2008 December
Department of Medicine, McGill University Health Center, McGill University.