Vitamin D Supplements Increase Health Risks in Obese Teens

Researchers claim medical experts were wrong in boosting adolescents’ daily intake of vitamins as Vitamin D supplements increase health risks in obese teens. Until recently, it was believed that giving obese teenagers daily doses of vitamin D contributes to their good health condition, but recent studies prove the opposite.

A team of endocrinologists led by pediatric expert Dr. Seema Kumar have subjected 19 obese teenagers to various medical tests to determine the effects of the said supplement on their bodies. The respondents, who were 13 to 18 years old had been diagnosed with Vitamin D deficiency, according to Kumar.

For that matter, they have followed a three-month treatment during which they received specific doses of vitamin D. At the end of the research, experts have concluded that no improvement has been noticed in the condition of the participants. On the contrary, they did not lose weight and their body mass indexes remained unchanged, according to researchers.

Additional investigations have proven, however, that vitamin D supplements have a negative impact on obese teens in that they increase their cholesterol and triglyceride levels. As a consequence, these adolescents are more likely to develop heart illnesses than other obese teenagers who do not take vitamin D supplements.

In spite of the recent discovery that the team has made, Kumar advises doctors not to change children’s diets as additional tests are still required to prove there is a link between heart-related illnesses and the ingestion of vitamin D. The author of the study has simply stressed the importance of carefully measuring the doses that are administered to obese children, particularly those who suffer from obesity.

If upcoming tests prove that vitamin D is not as benefic for the body as doctors believed it would, medical institutions with have to revise their regimes for obese adolescents. Children, who suffer from vitamin D deficiency may, however, be excluded from this new program considering that their body requires larger amounts of the said supplements. The new recommendations are only valid for obese teens, whose condition is worsened by vitamin D.

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