Vitamin D Levels Linked to Activity Level in Severely Obese

Also, longer 500-m walk time associated with lower serum concentrations of 25(OH)D
Vitamin D Levels Linked to Activity Level in Severely Obese

WEDNESDAY, April 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Among the severely obese, vitamin D status is related to physical activity and physical function, according to research published online April 15 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Tomas Ahern, M.B., B.Ch., of St. Columcille's Hospital in Loughlinstown, Ireland, and colleagues conducted a clinic-based, cross-sectional study of 252 severely obese subjects (age, 43.7 ± 11.2 years; body mass index, 50.7 ± 9.7 kg/m²). The authors sought to assess the relationship between vitamin D status and physical function.

The researchers found that participants with 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) concentrations greater than 50 nmol/L, compared with those with 25(OH)D less than 30 nmol/L, reported the highest activity levels (3.1 ± 3.4 hours/week versus 1.5 ± 2.5 hours/week; P = 0.015) and the shortest times to walk 500 m (6.2 ± 1.1 minutes versus 7.4 ± 1.5 minutes; P = 0.003). A weakly positive association was found between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and activity level (r = 0.19; P = 0.008). A moderately negative association was found between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and 500-m walk time (r = −0.343; P < 0.001).

"Our findings suggest that part of the physical inactivity and physical dysfunction associated with severe obesity may be due to poor vitamin D status," the authors write.

Abstract
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