Weight Loss Vitamins

Can there really be one or two vitamins that will help you to lose all the weight you want? Or, more realistically, do vitamins help you lose weight – and if they do, how does this happen?

Let’s start with an explanation of vitamins and how your body uses them. A vitamin is the term we use to describe organic compounds that are necessary for the growth and development of our bodies. Often they are needed in small quantities from our food because we cannot make them in our body.

Some vitamins we can synthesize. For instance, exposure of your skin to sunlight for 20-30 minutes each day will help your body make much of the Vitamin D that is necessary for optimal health. Our body also requires minerals to work properly. Sometimes we combine those two together . . . vitamins and minerals.

The first vitamin we’ll talk about is Vitamin D. As mentioned earlier, some vitamins can be manufactured in the body which breaks the rules of other vitamins which must be eaten in our foods. But, because our habits have changed in regards to being in the sun during the day and the use of sunscreen to reduce the risk of skin cancer, we can’t rely on our bodies to produce enough Vitamin D.

According to Harvard there are a shocking number of people in the US who are deficient in Vitamin D. In one study up to 1/3 of people up to age 30 were deficient. Deficiencies can trigger osteoporosis, cancers, cardiovascular disease and have been peripherally linked to diabetes. (1) More recently, doctors noted that those who are overweight are also deficient in Vitamin D. They theorize that the hypothalumus increases the body’s weight set point with a Vitamin D deficiency and that Vitamin D will prevent the growth and maturation of fat cells. (2)

Researchers have found that taking a multivitamin might be just what the doctor ordered to get rid of some of your pesky pounds. In a study published in the Internal Journal of Obesity, researchers found that individuals who took a multivitamin lost 3.4 kg of weight and reduced their BMI by 1.4. Those who were taking just a calcium supplement lost half the amount of weight and experienced no difference in their BMI or waist circumference. (3)

Lecithin is a generic term for a substance that consists of specific compounds, including phosporic acid, choline and fatty acids. It is the choline in the lecithin that is a major component of cell walls. Proponents of the use of lecithin claim that it is responsible for fat transport and metabolism and can help your weight loss efforts.

In combination with choline, inositol works to metabolize fat. Inositol is a member of the Vitamin B family and is found in soy, eggs and nuts.

Another vitamin, Chromium, is actually a trace mineral that is found in grains and cereals. Your body uses the chromium to breakdown fats and carbohydrates. You’ll also experience an energy boost that can help push you through your fitness program and help to burn more calories with each time at the gym.

Vitamins are important to your overall health and the right combination can help your body burn calories and fat more effectively. However, efficient weight loss is not accomplished with vitamins alone. You’ll need to incorporata solid nutritional plan and exercise to round out a lifestyle program you can live with and maintain over a lifetime.

References:

(1) Harvard: Vitamin D and Your Health

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/vitamin-d-and-your-health.htm

(2) Shape: Ask the Diet Doctor: Vitamin D and Weight Loss

http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/ask-diet-doctor-vitamin-d-and-weight-loss

(3) Internal Journal of Obesity: Effects of multivitamin and mineral supplementation on adiposity, energy expenditure and lipid profiles in obese Chinese women

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20142823

Resources:

Precision Nutrition: Research Review: Can Multivitamins Help you Get Lean

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/multivitamins-leanness

Mercola: Surprise! Vitamin D can help or hinder your weight management

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/08/21/vitamin-d-on-weight-management.aspx

Shape: The Vitamin That Wards Off Weight Gain

http://www.shape.com/blogs/weight-loss-coach/vitamin-wards-weight-gain

Natural News: Vitamin B, Choline and Chromium are some of the vitamins that Dr. Smith recommends to people who are trying to lose weight

http://www.naturalnews.com/041663_B_vitamins_nutritional_supplements_weight_loss.html#

Vanderbilt University: Lecithin Supplements Effectiveness in Weight Loss

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/psychology/health_psychology/LECITHIN_SUPPLEMENT.htm