Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Obesity is associated with high prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies (e.g., Vitamin D, Iron, B12) due to physiological changes like increased volume of distribution, sequestration in adipose tissue, and inflammation-induced malabsorption (e.g., hepcidin blocking iron).
If you have obesity, assume you may be deficient in key micronutrients like Vitamin D, Iron, and B12, regardless of how much you eat. Focus on nutrient-dense foods and discuss screening with your doctor, as standard weight loss diets can sometimes worsen these deficiencies.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Physiologic changes associated with obesity include increased blood volume, cardiac output, adiposity, lean mass, and organ size [1–3,5–8]. These influence the volume of distribution of micronutrients... Mechanisms of malnutrition in obesity include inadequate intake, defective storage and bioavailability of nutrients, or small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)... Low-grade inflammation, often seen in patients with obesity, also contributes to malnutrition by altering nutrient metabolism and transporter synthesis... One example of this is when adipose tissue increases hepcidin synthesis during inflammatory conditions, resulting in decreased intestinal iron absorption and anemia
Why this rating
This is a clinical review synthesizing 130 pertinent articles, providing strong observational and mechanistic evidence, though not a single RCT.
Source
Obesity and malnutrition in children and adults: A clinical review
Morgan Bradley et al. · Obesity Pillars · 2023
narrative_reviewCited 48×
Read the paper This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →