Research

Micronutrients & recovery

Higher visceral adipose tissue (VAT) and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) volumes are independently associated with lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations, with VAT showing a stronger inverse association than SAT.

If you have higher body fat, especially visceral fat, your blood vitamin D levels are likely to be lower, even if you get enough sun and eat vitamin D-rich foods. This is partly because vitamin D gets stored in fat cells. If you are lean, your vitamin D levels may be higher for the same intake. Focus on managing adiposity, as it directly impacts your vitamin D status.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
In models further adjusted for CT measures, 25(OH)D was inversely related to SAT... and VAT... The association of 25(OH)D with insulin resistance measures became nonsignificant after adjustment for VAT. Higher adiposity volumes were correlated with lower 25(OH)D across different categories of BMI, including in lean individuals (BMI <25 kg/m2).
Susan Cheng et al. · Diabetes · 2009

Why this rating

Large sample size (n=3,890), direct CT measures of adiposity, multivariable adjustment, but cross-sectional design limits causal inference.

Source

Adiposity, Cardiometabolic Risk, and Vitamin D Status: The Framingham Heart Study

Susan Cheng et al. · Diabetes · 2009

cohort · n=3890Cited 515×
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