Lack of sun doesn’t explain low vitamin D in overweight seniors

It’s not yet clear why overweight elderly adults have low levels of vitamin D – the so-called ‘sunshine vitamin’ – in their blood, but US research indicates a lack of sun exposure may not be the reason.

“People aged 65 and over with high percent body fat have lower levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the storage form of vitamin D, compared to those who have lower percent body fat,” says corresponding author Susan Harris, DSc, epidemiologist in the Bone Metabolism Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts.

“Sunlight exposure could not account for low vitamin D stores in older people with high percent body fat,” explains Harris.

“Vitamin D is especially critical in maintaining bone health, and there is evidence that many older Americans have low blood levels of vitamin D, which can put them at risk for bone fractures and osteoporosis,” says Dawson-Hughes.

The most likely explanation seems to be that vitamin D is sequestered in fat tissue, reducing its entry into the blood.”