Is Low Vitamin D Making You Fat?
A low vitamin D level is correlated to weight gain, increased fat storage, high blood sugar and more cravings.
About 1 billion people have low vitamin D levels and this is found in all ethnicities and age groups. In the USA, it is estimated that 42% of adults are vitamin D deficient.
Vitamin D is both a nutrient we eat and a hormone our bodies make. Virtually every cell in our body has a vitamin D receptor, which, when bound to vitamin D, can influence the expression of more than 200 genes.
Vitamin D Functions
Vitamin D has multiple roles in the body, including:
- promotes healthy bones and teeth
- supports immune, brain, and nervous system health
- influences the expression of genes involved in cancer development
- supports lung function and cardiovascular health
- regulates some hormones, particularly insulin and leptin
Low Levels Vitamin D and Weight Gain
Research shows that low Vitamin D levels are connected to insulin and leptin resistance.
Insulin is responsible for allowing glucose in the blood to enter cells, and is the main fat storage hormone in the body. It tells fat cells to store fat, and prevents stored fat from being broken down.
Leptin is a hormone that is produced in fat cells and reduces appetite. Leptin signals the brain to stop eating when you’re full, and signals the brain to burn fat when there is enough fat storage.
When Vitamin D levels were low, insulin and leptin hormones become less sensitive or functional, causing the body to store more fat, burning less. Low vitamin D also leads insulin resistance, a process where the cells become unresponsive to insulin and store glucose as fat. Low vitamin D thus causes weight gain and weight loss resistance.
Healthy Vitamin D Levels
The most common way to measure your levels of vitamin D is the 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood test. Results can be interpreted as follows:
- Deficient: Less than 30ng/ml
- Insufficient: between 30-50ng/ml
- Optimal: 50-80 ng/ml
Ways to Increase Vitamin D
We can increase levels of vitamin D through diet, sun exposure and supplements.
- Eat whole. Eat a clean, healthy, whole food diet, in order to maximize vitamin and mineral absorption. Avoid environmental and chemical toxins as well as pesticides and herbicides. Reduce trans and hydrogenated fats and increase healthy fats such as olive oil, coconut oil, olives, farm raised butter, nuts, seeds, avocados, etc. Avoid all processed and refined foods and sugars and ensure that morning pre-breakfast blood sugar levels stay under 100 mg/dl.
- Get adequate sunlight. Spend at least 30 minutes a day with sunlight directly on most of your skin, without sunscreen.
- Eat Vitamin D rich foods, including like sardines, salmon, herring, mackerel, grass fed beefs, liver, cod liver oil, egg yolks, wild mushrooms, fortified foods, etc.
- Supplements. Vitamin D3 supplements should always be taken with fat and at the largest meal of the day.
The health of your gut microbiome affects how well you absorb vitamin D from food or supplements. Probiotics, prebiotics and fermented foods can improve gut microbiome.
