Obese Kids Have a Vitamin D Deficiency

Overweight kids have lower levels of vitamin D irrespective of season, sex, or race and ethnicity.... According to a cross-sectional study, at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, 92% of obese children had inadequate levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH)]D), compared with 68% of slimmer kids and half of the obese children had vitamin D deficiency, compared with 22% of thinner kids. Also these obese children had signs of Insulin resistance i.e. pre-disposition for Diabetes in future. The findings come from a snapshot of 411 children, ages 6 through 16, whose body mass index (BMI) was at least in the 95th percentile for age, and who had been referred to an obesity center at Children's Medical Center Dallas. They were compared with 87 children -- matched to the obese group by season when the data was acquired, age, and race/ethnicity -- who were below the 85th percentile of BMI for age.  They were a convenience sample of otherwise healthy patients being treated for congenital hypothyroidism, acquired primary hypothyroidism, or isolated growth hormone deficiency. The researchers measured levels of 25(OH)D, blood sugar, and serum insulin, as well as BMI and blood pressure. Participants were also asked about their diet, including daily intake of soda, juice, and milk, average daily fruit and vegetable intake, and whether or not they routinely skipped breakfast. For this analysis, inadequate vitamin D was defined as a serum level of 25(OH)D below 75 nmol/L (30 ng\mL) and deficiency was defined as below 50 nmol/L (20 ng/mL). The analysis showed that, on average, the obese children had a serum 25(OH)D concentration of 49 nmol/L, compared with 67.5 nmol/L for the slimmer cohort. The greater intake of soda and juice, as well as routinely skipping breakfast intake, were associated with lower serum 25(OH)D. Researchers commented that the study cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship but "does suggest that low vitamin D levels may play a role in the development of type two diabetes." ***Olson ML, et al "Vitamin D deficiency in obese children and its relationship to glucose homeostasis" JCEM 2012.*** Other Important Associated Study Weight Gain After 4yrs Of Age -  Inversely Impact Diabetes