Vitamin D is important for regulating calcium levels, as well as blood pressure and insulin, and it has also been shown to have a positive effect on certain immune disorders, so it’s not surprising to see two studies come out in the same week further confirming the importance of Vitamin D to a woman’s health.
Vitamin D and Weight Gain in Women Over 65
The first study details the importance of vitamin D in older women, specifically those over the age of 65. While the fact that post-menopausal women require higher levels of vitamin D to protect their bone health isn’t exactly new information, this latest study found what appears to be a link between the vitamin and weight gain after menopause.
The findings show that postmenopausal women with insufficient vitamin D levels gained 2.1 pounds more over a four and a half year period than their counterparts, whose vitamin D was at healthy levels.
The study’s author, Erin LeBlanc, MD, is an endocrinologist, and emphasized the fact that while these results show an interesting new area of study, they are not conclusive enough to be used as a directive to recommend Vitamin D supplements for women wanting to lose weight.
Vitamin D and Depression
The other new vitamin D study affects women of all ages, but aside from being related to the same vitamin, it also relates to the endocrine system.
The women in this study were all suffering from clinical depression, but interestingly, they also each had either diabetes or hypothyroidism. The other health characteristic they shared: a vitamin D deficiency.
Endocrinologist Sonal Pathak, who presented the findings, reports that each of the patients showed remarkable improvement in their depression symptoms after having their vitamin D deficiencies corrected over a twelve week course of treatment.
Dr. Pathak did point out, however, that vitamin D is only a possible answer to depression symptoms for women who have deficiencies. Still, if these findings are true, it’s possible that women who report symptoms of depression could undergo a vitamin D screening which, for some women, could offer a much easier solution than that of long-term medications.
How Women Get Vitamin D
Unlike most vitamins, which come specifically from nutritional sources, vitamin D can also be obtained through sunlight. This doesn’t mean you should endanger the health of your skin in an effort to keep up vitamin D levels, though.
You can also find vitamin D supplements, and there is of course the traditional route of getting vitamins through a healthy diet.
Vitamin D is found in dairy, eggs and shellfish, and you can find many milk and orange juice brands that have been fortified with the vitamin as well.
However you choose to do it, it’s clear from these two new studies that getting enough vitamin D should be a priority, as a deficiency could have far-reaching effects on women of all ages.
