Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 21, 2025

Encapsulation Thermogenic Preadipocytes for Transplantation into Adipose Tissue Depots
Published on: June 2, 2015
Vitamin D and Obesity/Adiposity-A Brief Overview of Recent Studies
Imene Bennour1, Nicole Haroun1, Flavie Sicard1,2
1Aix-Marseille Université, C2VN, INRAE, INSERM, 13000 Marseille, France.
Abstract:
Observational studies classically find an inverse relationship between human plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and obesity. However, interventional and genetic studies have failed to provide clear conclusions on the causal effect of vitamin D on obesity/adiposity. Likewise, vitamin D supplementation in obese rodents has mostly failed to improve obesity parameters, whereas several lines of evidence in rodents and prospective studies in humans point to a preventive effect of vitamin D supplementation on the onset of obesity. Recent studies investigating the impact of maternal vitamin D deficiency in women and in rodent models on adipose tissue biology programming in offspring further support a preventive metabolically driven effect of vitamin D sufficiency. The aim of this review is to summarize the state of the knowledge on the relationship between vitamin D and obesity/adiposity in humans and in rodents and the impact of maternal vitamin D deficiency on the metabolic trajectory of the offspring.
Related Concept Videos
Obesity
Role of Skin in Vitamin D Synthesis
The solar UV B rays (290-315 nm) are absorbed by the skin, and 7-dehydrocholesterol (provitamin D3) photolyzes it to previtamin D3, which undergoes a rapid transformation to vitamin...
Hypodermis
Regulation of Food Intake
Overview of Lipid Metabolism
Lipolysis: The Breakdown of Lipids:
Lipolysis is the process of breaking down lipids, particularly triglycerides, into glycerol and fatty acids. This process typically occurs in the adipose tissue and is triggered by various hormones, including glucagon and...
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...

