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Less body fat for toddlers taking vitamin D

Published: 2 May 2016

 

Supplement given during first year of life critical for muscle-mass development

A healthy intake of vitamin D in the first year of life appears to set children up to have more muscle mass and less body fat as toddlers, according to a new study published in the journal Pediatric Obesity.

The findings emerged from research initially aimed at confirming the importance of vitamin D for bone density. The additional benefit in terms of body composition came as a surprise for the research team.

“We were very intrigued by the higher lean mass, the possibility that vitamin D can help infants to not only grow healthy skeletons but also healthy amounts of muscle and less fat,” said Hope Weiler, one of the study’s authors and Director of the Mary Emily Clinical Nutrition Research Unit at McGill University.

Read McGill press release

 

 

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