Belly fat plus vitamin D deficiency doubles death risk — SkimNews
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- Tiago da Silva Alexandre and colleagues found that adults 50+ with both abdominal obesity and vitamin D deficiency faced a 123% higher risk of death over six years, compared with a 47% increase for abdominal obesity alone and up to 91% for vitamin D deficiency alone.
- The study tracked 5,520 participants in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), defining vitamin D deficiency as blood levels below 30 nmol/L and abdominal obesity as a waist circumference over 102 cm for men or 88 cm for women.
- Abdominal fat appears to sequester vitamin D inside adipocytes, keeping it stored rather than circulating, while obesity also reduces expression of enzymes involved in vitamin D metabolism, further limiting usable amounts.
- The research, published in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, was a collaboration between the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) and University College London, funded by FAPESP.
- Alexandre warned the combination hits older adults hardest because aging brings 'inflammaging,' a state of chronic low-grade inflammation that vitamin D normally helps regulate.
- The same research group has previously linked vitamin D deficiency to loss of strength, slower walking speed, loss of independence, and cognitive decline in older adults.
Why it matters: For adults over 50, having both conditions together more than doubled mortality risk versus having neither, with vitamin D deficiency alone (up to 91%) proving riskier than belly fat alone (47%). The described mechanism — fat trapping vitamin D and obesity impairing its metabolism — suggests supplementation alone may not be enough without addressing abdominal fat, making combined screening and treatment a concrete lever for reducing premature death in older adults.
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