A recent study by the Endocrine Society found that men and women with higher vitamin D levels experienced a greater amount of weight loss when dieting compared to those with lower levels. Study participants were put on a reduced-calorie diet for eleven weeks. The researchers found a linear relationship between baseline vitamin D levels and weight loss.
“Plasma vitamin D predicts subsequent weight loss, suggesting a potential role for vitamin D in promotion of weight loss, perhaps through effects on adipose metabolism,” the study’s authors conclude in their abstract about their findings.
Vitamin D can be obtained from sun exposure, foods (fatty fish such as salmon) and supplements.