Could Your Waistline be the Result of a Vitamin Deficiency?

Health Wellness

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Next time you go out someplace in public where there are a number of people ranging in age from 40 and older, take a quick look at overall body types? I generally classify people 40 or older into three different body types – slender, normal and heavy. I’ve noticed that where you go will determine the proportions of body types you are likely to see. Face it, places like Walmart tend to have more heavy body types, while other types of stores often tend towards the slender and normal body types.

After looking at others, take a moment at home and look at your own body type in a mirror and be honest about how you look. If you are slender, did you know that being too slender or underweight can cause risks for some health concerns? It also makes you more susceptible to broken bones, twisted ankles and knees. Being underweight can also increase the risk of anemia, vitamin deficiency, malnutrition, osteoporosis, decreased immune function, irregular menstrual cycles and lower fertility, and increased risk of complications resulting from surgery.

For many years, my wife was underweight – standing 5’11” and weighing no more than 110 pounds. Doctors were concerned about her being too underweight and some even encouraged her to increase her calorie intake. One doctor recommended she eat at least 2,500 to 3,000 calories today, but no matter how much she ate, she didn’t gain. It’s genetic since her dad was about the same height and weighed about 135 pounds his entire life.

As for people with heavy body types – overweight – there are many reasons why a person can be overweight. Sometimes it’s just genetic or due to a health condition, but in many cases, it’s due to eating an unhealthy diet and not getting enough exercise or physical activity. Fast foods, fatty meat, processed meats, processed foods, sugary foods, soda, beer and even many fruit juices can all lead to being overweight. A person can eat a very healthy diet, limit their caloric intake and still become overweight if they sit all day and all night and just not get enough exercise.

If you eat a healthy diet and get enough activity or exercise and still have a problem with excess weight, did you ever consider the possibility that it could be due to a simple vitamin deficiency – specially vitamin D?

Yep, the stuff they put in processed milk.

According to a recent report:

“According to a study that was presented at the European Society of Endocrinology’s yearly meeting in Barcelona, people who have higher levels of belly fat tend to have lower levels of vitamin D. This might not sound like a big deal on the surface, until you consider all of the problems that have been linked to vitamin D deficiency, which range from poor bone health to cardiovascular and autoimmune disease, and even cancer.”

“Researchers from the VU University Medical Center and the Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands reached this conclusion after studying participants in the Netherlands Epidemiology of Obesity study between the ages of 45 and 65. They looked at the amounts of abdominal fat and total body fat in participants, and assessed how it related to their levels of vitamin D. To ensure they were getting an accurate picture, they adjusted for factors that could skew their results, including physical activity levels, alcohol intake, and chronic disease.”

“They discovered that amounts of abdominal fat as well as overall fat were linked to lower levels of vitamin D among women; abdominal fat had a bigger impact on this than total fat did. In men, it was liver fat and abdominal fat that were linked to lower levels of vitamin D. In both genders, however, higher amounts of belly fat corresponded to lower vitamin D levels.”

It is generally considered that eating a healthy diet, most people still do not get enough vitamin D. Foods that contain good amounts of vitamin D include egg yolks and fatty fish, but they are not enough. One of the best sources for vitamin D is sunlight, specifically UV B waves that react with your skin and spurs the production of vitamin D. However, many experts warn about too much sunlight and the threat of skin cancer, so, it’s recommended that if you have belly fat, not only do you want to eat more fish like salmon, tuna and trout, but you may want to take vitamin D supplements. If you do, look for vitamin D3 which is the same form produced by your skin.

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