Walking in the Light: How History of Physical Activity, Sunlight, and Vitamin D Account for Body Fat-A UK Biobank Study.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency and obesity drives the need for successful strategies that elevate vitamin D levels, prevent adipogenesis, and stimulate lipolysis. This study provides a theoretical model to evaluate how physical activity (PA) and sunlight exposure influence serum vitamin D levels and regional adiposity. This study hypothesized a posteriori that sunlight is associated with undifferentiated visceral adiposity by increasing the ratio of brown to white adipose tissue.

METHODS:

Using 10-year longitudinal data, accelerometry, a sun-exposure questionnaire, and regional adiposity quantified by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry imaging, a structural-equation mediation model of growth curves was constructed with a data-driven methodology.

RESULTS:

Sunlight and PA conjointly increased serum vitamin D. Changes in vitamin D levels partially mediated how sunlight and PA impacted adiposity in visceral and subcutaneous regions within a subjective PA model. In an objective PA model, vitamin D was a mediator for subcutaneous regions only. Interestingly, sunlight was associated with less adiposity in subcutaneous regions but greater adiposity in visceral regions.

CONCLUSIONS:

Sunlight and PA may increase vitamin D levels. For the first time, this study characterizes a positive association between sunlight and visceral adiposity. Further investigation and experimentation are necessary to clarify the physiological role of sunlight exposure on adipose tissue.

• Authors: Brandon S Klinedinst, Nathan F Meier, Brittany Larsen, Yueying Wang, Shan Yu, Jonathan P Mochel, Scott Le, Tovah Wolf, Amy Pollpeter, Colleen Pappas, Qian Wang, Karin Allenspach, Li Wang, Daniel Russell, David A Bennett, Auriel A Willette
• Journal: Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) (Obesity (Silver Spring)) Vol. 28 Issue 8 Pg. 1428-1437 (08 2020) ISSN: 1930-739X [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 32573118 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2020 The Obesity Society.

Chemical References

• Vitamin D

Topics

• Adipose Tissue (metabolism)
• Aged
• Biological Specimen Banks (standards)
• Exercise (physiology)
• Female
• Humans
• Longitudinal Studies
• Male
• Middle Aged
• Sunlight
• United Kingdom
• Vitamin D (blood)