Do you Need Vitamin D for Weight Loss?
25-05-2018 | Posted By: Chhavi | 4098 View(s)
Walking, exercising, and eating a healthy diet are all conventional methods of weight loss. Many people follow fad diets and fitness tips to shed a few pounds, but their hard work doesn’t pay off, and then they have no option left other than questioning themselves ‘What am I doing wrong?’ Losing weight is not that easy, and you must know certain tricks if you want to see yourself looking gorgeous in an hourglass figure. One of the simple methods to lose weight is getting some vitamin D. Yes, you heard right! Are you thinking why do we need vitamin D for weight loss? Well, in this blog we are going to share with you the mystery behind the relation between vitamin D and weight loss.
What is Vitamin D and do You Need Vitamin D for Weight Loss?
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is required for maintaining strong teeth and bones, strengthening the immune system, and facilitating the absorption of phosphorous and calcium.
It is difficult to get vitamin D from the foods you eat because it is not found naturally in many foods. The best source of vitamin D is sunlight, and that is why doctors recommend getting at least 5 – 30 minutes of sun exposure to meet the recommended daily amount of 600 IU.
However, for those living too far from the equator, it is not easy to meet the daily requirements through sun exposure alone.
So, they must eat a diet rich in vitamin D on a regular basis. You will be shocked to know that half of the population worldwide is low in vitamin D.So, eat a diet rich in vitamin D and sit under the sun for at least ten minutes daily to get your daily dose of vitamin D.
What is the Relation between Vitamin D and Weight Loss?
Recent studies show that a higher BMI, i.e. body mass index is associated with lower blood levels of vitamin D. Some medical experts claim that people who are obese or overweight do not consume a lot of vitamin-D rich foods.
To know if you have a vitamin D deficiency, book a health checkup package now.
A recent study conducted in the year 2012 indicates that the need for vitamin D depends on body size. This means that people who are obese need more of vitamin D than normal-weight people to reach the same blood levels.
Theoretically, a reduction in your body weight would also mean a decrease in your vitamin D requirement. Some studies also claim that getting enough vitamin D could promote weight loss and decrease body fat.
A study was conducted in which 218 overweight and obese women participated. They were put on a calorie-restricted diet and exercise routine for one year. Half of the women received a supplement of vitamin D, while the other half were given a placebo. The study found that women who received vitamin D supplements lost more weight than the women who were given a placebo.
In another study conducted, wherein 4600 senior women participated, it was found that higher levels of vitamin D in the blood were linked to less weight gain between visits during the span of the 4.5-year study.
Studies claim that vitamin D could reduce the formation of new fat cells in the body, and also suppress the storage of fat cells, thereby reducing fat accumulation. Hence, it is true that we need vitamin D for weight loss.
Serotonin helps control appetite, and it may also help reduce body weight and decrease calorie intake. The good thing is that vitamin D also increase levels of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that affects sleep regulation and mood, and this is another reason why vitamin D is essential for weight loss.
The bottom line is that vitamin D promotes weight loss and hence you must get your daily dose of this vitamin to stay fit and healthy.
