A few months back, the University of Michigan School of Public Health published the results of research that suggests that inadequate levels of vitamin D could be a key factor in increased fat accumulation in children, and could be an important weapon in the fight against childhood obesity.
According to their findings, there is a strong correlation between vitamin D deficiency and the rapid build-up of abdominal body fat. This specific type of fat is often associated with an increased risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, as well as numerous other serious medical concerns.
In order to better understand the link between these two factors, researchers first measured the vitamin D blood serum levels of 479 children, ages 5 to 12, living in Bogota, Columbia, and then monitored their weight gain for a 30-month period. Due to the inherent shortcomings with relying solely on the body mass index standard of gauging body fat, the researchers opted to use a three-prong approach which took into consideration not only BMI, but also waist circumference and a more advanced technique know as the subscapular-to-tricep skinfold ratio.

















