Impulsive or binge eating may be associated with low vitamin D – Nov 2018

I have often thought that obesity may be an indication that the body is trying to get a nutrient – perhaps the nutrient is vitamin D. Henry Lahore, founder of VitaminDWiki

Impulsivity and vitamin D in bariatric surgery candidates.

Pharmacol Rep. 2018 Aug;70(4):688-693. doi: 10.1016/j.pharep.2018.02.005. Epub 2018 Feb 5.

VitaminDWiki

Virtually all Bariatric Surgery patients vitamin D deficient – should we routinely supplement – Jan 2011
Prior to Bariatric Surgery 96 percent were vitamin D deficient – July 2014
Vitamin D probably important for Bariatric Surgery – April 2018
Overview Deficiency of vitamin D has a chart - a portion of which shows the problems AFTER the surgery

Overview Obesity and Vitamin D contains the following summary

FACT: People who are obese have less vitamin D in their blood
FACT: Obese need a higher dose of vitamin D to get to the same level of vit D
FACT: When obese people lose weight the vitamin D level in their blood increases
FACT: Adding Calcium, perhaps in the form of fortified milk, often reduces weight
FACT: 168 trials for vitamin D intervention of obesity as of Dec 2021
FACT: Less weight gain by senior women with > 30 ng of vitamin D
FACT: Dieters lost additional 5 lbs if vitamin D supplementation got them above 32 ng - RCT
FACT: Obese lost 3X more weight by adding $10 of Vitamin D
FACT: Those with darker skins were more likely to be obese Sept 2014
OBSERVATION: Low Vitamin D while pregnancy ==> more obese child and adult
OBSERVATION: Many mammals had evolved to add fat and vitamin D in the autumn
- and lose both in the Spring - unfortunately humans have forgotten to lose the fat in the Spring
SPECULATION: Low vitamin D might be one of the causes of obesity – several studies
SUGGESTION: Probably need more than 4,000 IU to lose weight if very low on vitamin D due to
risk factors such as overweight, age, dark skin, live far from equator,shut-in, etc.
Obesity category has 441 items

Normal weight Obese (50 ng = 125 nanomole)

Click here for 2014 study

Normal weight Obese (50 ng = 125 nanomole)

Vitamin D, impulsivity and eating behaviors in the obese: Is there a connection?
- Vitamin D Council July 2018, commenting on the article on this page
Eating Disorders & Obesity: Vitamin D Deficiency Oct 2012

Wrzosek M1, Sawicka A2, Tałałaj M2, Wojnar M3, Nowicka G4.
1 Dept of Biochemistry and Pharmacogenomics, Medical University of Warsaw and Center for Preclinical Studies, Warszawa, Poland. malgorzata.wrzosek@wum.edu.pl.
2 Department of Geriatrics, Internal Medicine and Metabolic Bone Diseases, Medical Centre of Postgraduate Education, Prof. W. Orlowski Hospital in Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland.
3 Department of Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warszawa, Poland; Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
4 Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacogenomics, Medical University of Warsaw and Center for Preclinical Studies, Warszawa, Poland.

BACKGROUND:
Obesity is recognized as a major health problem. Vitamin D is involved in maintaining energy metabolism by regulation of glucose transporters, uncoupling proteins, and normal brain function. We aimed to explore a relationship between impulsivity, eating behaviors, and 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration in a sample of 322 bariatric surgery candidates.

METHODS:
Participants completed a questionnaire on their health, eating habits and The Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q). Impulsivity was evaluated with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11). Blood samples were obtained to measure levels of 25(OH)D, lipids (cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol), and glucose.

RESULTS:
Overall scores on the BIS-11, along with scores on the Attentional Subscale of the BIS were significantly higher in participants with higher frequency of snack food consumption. Scores on the Attentional Subscale of the BIS were higher in participants who self-reported eating in response to emotions. Participants who reported eating at night or declared intense emotions associated with a desire-to-eat had the highest global, attentional, and non-planning impulsivity levels. Scores on the Non-planning Subscale of the BIS-11 were elevated in participants with 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations lower than 10ng/ml.

CONCLUSIONS:
The results suggest that the higher level of impulsivity among the patients with obesity is associated with eating habits, and support the hypothesis that vitamin D deficiency may contribute to impulsiveness.