Vitamin D Deficiency and Weight Gain

Vitamin D Deficiency and Weight Gain

Everyday Health member pangea52 writes, "I just found out that I'm very deficient in vitamin D. I've been doing some research on this and apparently it can be related to the inability to lose weight as well as increased weight gain, among many other things. This was news to me! I'm wondering if others are dealing with vitamin D deficiency and what your experience has been with supplements?"
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http://www.everydayhealth.com/CS/forums/383668/ShowThread.aspx

Here is another article I found.

Do you feel tired and achy during the winter months? Your symptoms may be a sign of a vitamin D deficiency. If you suspect you're vitamin D deficient, you can have your doctor perform a simple blood test to check your levels, says Dr. James Dowd, associate professor of medicine at Michigan State University. Bob talks with Dr. Dowd, author of The Vitamin D Cure, about the causes, symptoms and cures of vitamin D deficiency.

Causes:
*Lack of sun exposure: People who work indoors or live in northern climates where the sun shines very little in the winter often don't get important doses of vitamin D from the sun, Dr. Dowd says.

*Race: Latinos and African-Americans are at a much higher risk of becoming vitamin D deficient because they have more melanin in their skin, Dr. Dowd says. "That's because melanin is a natural sunscreen and it blocks the type of sunlight that helps you make vitamin D, so your risk goes up the darker your skin is," he says.

Symptoms:
*Fatigue: "It can be a quite severe fatigue," Dr. Dowd says. In fact, those diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome may also suffer from lack of vitamin D, he says.

*Body aches: "Bone pain, muscle pain, joint pain [are all signs]," he says. "[The pain] typically moves around—one day it's your back that bothers you, a week later it's your shoulders and the next day it is your feet and hands."

*Difficulty controlling weight: Vitamin D plays a role in regulating weight, and Dr. Dowd says a deficiency may make it difficult to keep your weight in check.

Cures:
*Supplements: A daily multivitamin has about 400 units of vitamin D, but Dr. Dowd says you still need to take a straight vitamin D supplement on top of the multivitamin to reach normal levels. "Your average [100- to 200-] pound person is going to require probably between 2,000 and 4,000 units of vitamin D a day," he says.

*Sun exposure: Eating lunch outdoors when possible or going for walk during a break to get sun exposure will help you achieve normal vitamin D levels, Dr. Dowd says. "Increase your sun exposure at midday between spring blossoms and fall colors," he says.

*Eat vitamin D-rich foods: Dr. Dowd says green, leafy vegetables, fish from the ocean and sun-dried produce such as mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes are excellent sources of vitamin D.