ROCHESTER, Minn. (KIMT) – A vast majority of obese teens are Vitamin D deficient, according to doctors at Mayo Clinic. Giving those patients doses of Vitamin D has become a popular treatment, but a new study is showing limited benefits.
A small study done at Mayo Clinic found there were no improvements in weight, body mass index, blood sugars or blood flow for overweight teens given the Vitamin D supplementation.
What surprised Mayo doctors was that they also noticed an increase in cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the patients involved in the study. We spoke to a Mayo Pediatrician who says the jury is still out on the benefits.
“We just don’t have enough evidence on what the overall health benefits of Vitamin D treatment are in teenagers. It’s certainly reasonable to take Vitamin D at reasonable doses because a vast majority of obese adolescents are Vitamin D deficient,” explains Seema Kumar, MD.
Dr. Kumar says more research is needed, which is why she wants to see larger placebo-controlled studies done that will look into the long-term effects of the Vitamin D supplementation.
