Premium
Walking in the Light: How History of Physical Activity, Sunlight, and Vitamin D Account for Body Fat—A UK Biobank Study
Author(s) -
Klinedinst Brandon S.,
Meier Nathan F.,
Larsen Brittany,
Wang Yueying,
Yu Shan,
Mochel Jonathan P.,
Le Scott,
Wolf Tovah,
Pollpeter Amy,
Pappas Colleen,
Wang Qian,
Allenspach Karin,
Wang Li,
Russell Daniel,
Bennett David A.,
Willette Auriel A.
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
obesity
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.438
H-Index - 199
eISSN - 1930-739X
pISSN - 1930-7381
DOI - 10.1002/oby.22852
Subject(s) - sunlight , vitamin d and neurology , medicine , adipose tissue , endocrinology , vitamin , vitamin d deficiency , obesity , lipolysis , physics , astronomy
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.