A recent study found that the body's response to vitamin D varies with a person's weight, but how?

The study was conducted by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Britain, and published in JAMA Netw Open, and written about by York Alert.

The researchers found that the higher the BMI, the lower the body's response to vitamin D supplementation, which may explain some of the differences observed in the effectiveness of vitamin D supplementation depending on a person's obesity status.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient involved in many biological processes, most notably helping our bodies absorb minerals, such as calcium and magnesium.

While some of the vitamin D we need is made in the body from sunlight, vitamin D deficiency is often treated with supplementation. Evidence from laboratory studies, epidemiological research, and clinical research also suggests that vitamin D may play a role in the occurrence and progression of cancer and cardiovascular disease. .

Study first author Deirdre K. Tobias, associate epidemiologist in Brigham's Division of Preventive Medicine, said: "There appears to be something different going on with vitamin D metabolism at higher body weights, and this study may help explain the diminishing results of supplementation for individuals with higher BMIs." ".

The study included 16,515 participants in the United States, including men over the age of 50 and women over the age of 55.

Vitamin D supplementation

Researchers found that vitamin D supplementation increased most biomarkers associated with vitamin D metabolism in people, regardless of their weight.

However, these increases were much less in people with a higher BMI.

"We saw striking differences after two years, which indicates a poor response to vitamin D supplementation with a higher BMI," Tobias said.

"This study sheds light on why we saw a 30% or 40% reduction in cancer mortality, autoimmune disease, and other outcomes with vitamin D supplementation among those with a lower BMI but less benefit in those with a lower BMI," said co-author Joanne E. Manson. A higher body mass index, suggesting that it may be possible to achieve benefits with more personalized doses of vitamin D."

The authors called for research to continue exploring the potential benefits of vitamin D supplementation for preventing cancer and other diseases and for BMI to be taken into account when evaluating the health effects of supplementation.

What is BMI?

Body mass index is a number calculated using a person's height and weight, and in most cases it is a reliable indicator for assessing overweight or underweight in most people.

The body mass index does not measure the amount of fat in the body or its percentage, but the researchers found that it is associated with the percentage of fat in the body usually, and therefore it is an indicator of the amount of fat a person has, and it is also a way to assess health risks using the person's weight and height.

How do you calculate body mass index?

The body mass index (BMI) - also known as the body mass index - is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of his height in meters. For example, if a person's height is 170 centimeters and his weight is 75 kilograms, then 170 centimeters is converted into a unit of meters, so it becomes 1.7, then the weight is divided on his square:

75/ 2(1.7) and the result in this case is 25.95.

How do you read the results?

For people 20 years of age or older, BMI is assessed as follows:

  • Less than 18.5: The person is underweight, which can weaken their immune system and increase their risk of osteoporosis.

    Also, being underweight may be associated with a person suffering from an eating disorder.

  • 18.5 to 24.9: Weight is normal, which means that there are no health risks associated with weight on a person's health, while emphasizing that this does not mean that there are no health risks associated with other things.

  • 25 to 29.9: the person is overweight.

  • 30 and over: the person is obese.