Vitamin D improves gut flora and metabolic syndrome

[Northerner]

It is well known that a diet high in fat can trigger a metabolic syndrome, a group of symptoms that pose as risk factors for diabetes and heart disease. Scientists have now discovered that vitamin D deficiency is necessary for this syndrome to progress in mice, with underlying disturbances in gut bacteria.

If these findings can be validated in humans, sun bathing and vitamin D supplements may be feasible and affordable approaches to improve or even prevent metabolic syndrome.

"Based on this study, we believe that keeping vitamin D levels high, either through sun exposure, diet or supplementation, is beneficial for prevention and treatment of metabolic syndrome," says Professor Stephen Pandol, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, USA, who collaborated with Yuan-Ping Han's research group at Sichuan University, China in the study.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/12/161221125439.htm

 

[grovesy]

We are not mice and other supplements suggested from mouse models have not been shown to work in humans.

 

[mikeyB]

Wot grovesy said.

 

[trophywench]

True.

But Vit D is fairly central to health anyway!

 

[Deleted member 16779]

It's important to have SUFFICIENT, but the subtitle of this is misleading, it says "
Extra vitamin D can restore good bacteria in the gut, according to a study in mice, giving hope in the fight against risk factors for diabetes and heart disease"

But actually goes on to talk about deficiency being the problem and also that a high fat diet doesn't cause obesity (in mice anyway), but only in combination with insufficient Vitamin D.

The number of people who've made the leap from 'a deficiency is bad' - to '10,100 or 1,000 times more is really good' is unbelievable - the Daily Fail does this with almost literally every article about nutrition, and of course there are numerous quacks and snake oil salesman out to flog you books or supplements making those claims.

Vitamin D is flogged as a miracle cure for just about everything nowadays, and there's very weak evidence for the majority of the claims.

Personally I do take a multi-vitamin and mineral supplement containing Vit D and calcium, because I don't spend enough time outside, I'm diabetic and I'm on a low-carb diet and I'm relatively old, so it probably helps.

 

[mikeyB]

Considering how crap I feel with a very low Vit D level, I'm all for people chomping extra.

 

[FergusC]

I got diagnosed with low Vit D last year, so put on oral vit D pulled Vit D to above "Warning Level"
Result : Problem solved, so No more Vit D prescribed
WTF!!!!
(Result sourced vit D privately now)

 

[Ditto]

I've got to take Vitamin D now. Agh more pills. I'd be thinking it was my Atkins diet that has done it after reading this, but my son and my sister are also on Vitamin D. What's going on, it feels positively Victorian...I thought threat of rickets died out long ago.