Weight Gain And Stunted Growth Can Happen Due To Lack Of Vitamin D
A recent study has found how the lack of vitamin D causes stunted growth and weight gain in girls. Till now, you may not have worried about whether your daughter is getting adequate quantity of vitamin D. However on your next appointment with the doctor, remember to ask if enough vitamin D is present in your daughter’s body.
Though your daughter need not worry about bone density loss (osteoporosis) at this stage, it is better to know if she is having an insufficient intake of vitamin D.
Let the sun shine
A joint research conducted by American scientists at the University of Southern California and their Canadian colleagues from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) proved that deficiency of vitamin D caused stunted growth and higher body mass in teenage girls.
What vitamin D does for you
In adults, vitamin D deficiency causes obesity, some categories of cancers, and osteoporosis. Kremer found in his study that young women with an insufficient intake of vitamin D were considerably heavier, had increased abdominal fat and a higher body mass index as compared to young women having normal levels of vitamin D in their body.
90 Hispanic and Caucasian girls were examined by the researchers. It was discovered that young women having normal levels of vitamin D were taller than their peers having an insufficient level of vitamin D. However, no association between bone strength and vitamin D deficiency was found in this study.
Simple screening
The researchers noted that as vitamin D levels are examined regularly in case of older women, they are more likely to steer clear of the risk associated with vitamin D deficiency. However, as girls don’t have that level of awareness, they rarely get screened for vitamin D deficiency.
The research team calculated the levels of vitamin D in girls whose age varied between 16 and 22 years using an easy blood test (called 25-hydroxy vitamin D). They also examined height and body fat to decide how vitamin D deficiency could influence the health of young women. The researchers concluded that vitamin D deficiency can give rise to fat accumulation and increase the risk of chronic disorders at a later stage.
