This common vitamin deficiency becomes far more dangerous when paired with belly fat
News
Belly fat and vitamin D deficiency may form a dangerous combination, more than doubling the risk of death in adults over 50.
– Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
– A large study of more than 5,500 adults over 50 found a striking combination of risk factors: abdominal obesity paired with vitamin D deficiency was linked to a 123% higher risk of death over six years. Each condition was associated with increased risk on its own, but together they appeared to create a dangerous feedback loop, with belly fat reducing the amount of vitamin D available in the bloodstream while low vitamin D may worsen inflammation and other health problems.
Details
A large study involving more than 5,500 adults over age 50 has identified a potentially dangerous combination of health risks. People who had both abdominal obesity and vitamin D deficiency faced a 123% higher risk of death compared with those who had neither condition.
The findings, published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, suggest that the two conditions may be especially harmful when they occur together. Although each was associated with a higher risk of death on its own, the combined effect was substantially greater.
“Abdominal obesity is a well-known risk factor because it’s associated with inflammation and metabolic problems. Vitamin D, on the other hand, is a hormone that acts on various organs, and its deficiency impairs several bodily functions. When these two conditions occur together, one amplifies the effects of the other, further increasing the risk of death,” explains Tiago Silva Alexandre, a professor in the Department of Gerontology at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil, who
Analysis
Tracking Health Risks Over Six Years
The research was carried out in collaboration with University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom and funded by FAPESP. Researchers followed 5,520 people age 50 and older for six years. All of the participants were enrolled in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), one of the world’s largest studies focused on aging.
The data showed that vitamin D deficiency (levels below 30 nmol/L) was associated with a greater risk of death on its own than abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity was defined as a waist circumference greater than 102 centimeters for men and 88 centimeters for women.
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