Calcium and Vitamin D Help Manage Visceral Fat

by Irfan Qureshi, ND

The role of vitamin D and calcium in human health continues to broaden. Not only do both of these ingredients play vital roles in bone, muscle, mood and heart health, new research has indicated they can also have a positive effect on the reduction of visceral fat.

The accumulation of excess visceral fat is associated with several poor metabolic health outcomes. According to research led by Lee Kaplan, MD, PhD. of Massachusetts General Hospital, a daily dose of 1,050 mg of calcium plus 300 IU vitamin D administered in fortified orange juice was shown to provide visceral-fat-reducing effects in test subjects compared to orange juice without added calcium or vitamin D. The study included 171 overweight participants with an average age of 40 who participated in two 16-week parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials.

Test group participants consumed three, 240 mL glasses of regular or light (reduced calorie) calcium plus vitamin D fortified orange juice per day. The daily amounts of calcium and vitamin D totaled 1,050 mg and 300 IU, respectively. Control group participants consumed three, 240 mL of the same regular or light orange juice without the added nutrients. The results of the test group intake of regular juice showed an average reduction in visceral adipose tissue of 12.7 cm2 based on measurements from CT scans whereas the control group results showed an average reduction of just 1.3 cm2. Additionally, the groups consuming light juice showed a greater average overall reduction in visceral adipose tissue with the vitamin D and calcium test group showing an average reduction of 13.1 cm2 while the control group achieved an average visceral fat reduction of 6.4 cm2.

Managing visceral fat can be an important factor in maintaining overall metabolic health. This latest research shows that the intake of modest amounts of vitamin D and calcium, two commonly deficient nutrients, can play a significant role in producing positive health outcomes. Vitamin D and calcium are essential to a number of biological processes, and an adequate daily intake can be achieved through the combination of dietary consumption as well as through daily supplementation.