One of the most important nutrients that really make a difference to your health is Vitamin D. Multiple studies have pointed out that a deficiency of vitamin D may lead to many types of physical illnesses including mental health problems. A study published in the Journal Nutrients revealed that there is also a link between Vitamin D and women’s health especially muscle gain or loss and belly fat loss or gain. It says that a deficiency in Vitamin D could lead to abdominal fat and muscle loss in women. Both of these may also happen at the same time. According to the study, women between the age group of 20 and 49 are particularly at risk of these two problems. Let us do a deep dive into the link between vitamin D and women’s health.
Link Between Vitamin D With Belly Fat And Muscle Quantity
According to the recent study, women who do not have adequate vitamin D in the body may show higher body adiposity index (BAI), low body-mass index (BMI) and higher waist to height ratio. Lower BMI means that the amount of muscle in the person’s body is less than required and higher waist to height ratio means that the amount of abdominal fat is also high.
Here are the main findings of the study:
- According to the body composition analysis of some of the female participants, women with not enough vitamin D in the body showed to gave high BAI as well as high waist-to-height ratio.
- Women with adequate vitamin D showed lower BAI and also slightly lower waist-to-height ratio. This means that adequate vitamin D resulted in lower body fat or abdominal fat in women.
- Women with enough vitamin D were observed to have higher BMI-adjusted muscle mass index.
- Women with lower vitamin D levels were observed to have low BMI-adjusted muscle mass index.
Why Do Women Require Both Vitamin D And Muscles?
Multiple researches point out that women especially require adequate vitamin D nutrients and muscles in the body. It has also been proven that women are more at risk of suffering from a deficiency of both these two important things as they grow older. Old age can lead to loss of muscle mass in women particularly after menopause. Moreover, women also tend to become deficient in vitamin with age. This nutrient ensures good bone density which is something women also start to lose with age. Because of these above mentioned reasons women especially should make sure to eat foods that are high in vitamin D and protein. Foods rich in protein will also help them build muscles and thereby prevent belly fat gain. Note that, muscle gain is an important step to lose belly fat and all women must focus in this area after a certain age.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and it not vetted by an expert. Please consult a medical expert for more information.