Lack Of Sunlight Could Be Key To Infant's Obesity

[Julieanne]

Bryan Hiubbard
October 4 2018

Is a lack of sunlight one cause of the obesity epidemic among children? It's certainly a possibility after vitamin D supplements helped a group of overweight and obese adolescents lose "a significant" amount of weight after one year.
Our bodies hold onto fat stores when we're deficient in vitamin D, which we mainly get from sunlight, especially during the summer months.

Countering this deficiency seems to give the signal to the body to release stores of fat, as researchers from the University of Athens Medical School discovered when they gave supplements to a group of obese and overweight children and adolescents.


Read more: https://www.wddty.com/news/2018/10/l...=1538734218753

[Mr. Wizard]

Vitamin D functions more like a hormone than a vitamin, modulating thousands of genetic processes in the body. Given its wide-ranging impact, I bet the vit. D benefited these kids in more ways than just weight loss after one full year!

[Islander]

We have done to vitamin D what we did with vitamin C: Expressed astonishment at the number of health applications it had, how it seemed to influence our overall physiology... and within a generation, forgot everything. Most kids don't get good quality supplemental vitamin C and most kids are slathered with sunscreen. When I try to talk to my daughters, the usual reply is, "I have a pediatritian for that." The fact that both women are obese and the grandchildren are (or are becoming) overweight and that both mothers are on various meds... I try to role model a different lifestyle and wait for them to make the connection but it never happens.

[Julieanne]

I feel for you Islander - that must be hard to take. I guess we all want our kids to be like us, but it doesn't always happen. I don't think my son paid much attention to anything I said till he was in his mid-forties. Now he has become quite health conscious and is gardening and growing herbs, so you never know!

[Mr. Wizard]

@Islander: I feel your pain. I deal with the exact same situation with my children and grands. I console myself by remembering the unhealthy lifestyle I had as a young person, and realizing that eventually they will know better and will do better. Until then, it's rough to observe, but what are our options??