This common vitamin deficiency becomes far more dangerous when paired with belly fat
Belly fat and vitamin D deficiency may form a dangerous combination, more than doubling the risk of death in adults over 50
Date:
August 13, 2026
Source:
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
Summary:
A large study of more than 5,500 adults over 50 found a striking combination of risk factors: abdominal obesity paired with vitamin D deficiency was linked to a 123% higher risk of death over six years. Each condition was associated with increased risk on its own, but together they appeared to create a dangerous feedback loop, with belly fat reducing the amount of vitamin D available in the bloodstream while low vitamin D may worsen inflammation and other health problems.
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FULL STORY
A large study involving more than 5,500 adults over age 50 has identified a potentially dangerous combination of health risks. People who had both abdominal obesity and vitamin D deficiency faced a 123% higher risk of death compared with those who had neither condition
The findings, published in the journal Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, suggest that the two conditions may be especially harmful when they occur together. Although each was associated with a higher risk of death on its own, the combined effect was substantially greater
“Abdominal obesity is a well-known risk factor because it’s associated with inflammation and metabolic problems. Vitamin D, on the other hand, is a hormone that acts on various organs, and its deficiency impairs several bodily functions. When these two conditions occur together, one amplifies the effects of the other, further increasing the risk of death,” explains Tiago Silva Alexandre, a professor in the Department of Gerontology at the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar) in Brazil, who coordinated the study. “For that reason, monitoring vitamin D levels and treating excess abdominal fat are essential measures to prevent premature death, especially after age 50,” he adds.
Tracking Health Risks Over Six Years
The research was carried out in collaboration with University College London (UCL) in the United Kingdom and funded by FAPESP. Researchers followed 5,520 people age 50 and older for six years. All of the participants were enrolled in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), one of the world’s largest studies focused on aging
The data showed that vitamin D deficiency (levels below 30 nmol/L) was associated with a greater risk of death on its own than abdominal obesity. Abdominal obesity was defined as a waist circumference greater than 102 centimeters for men and 88 centimeters for women
People with abdominal obesity alone had a 47% higher risk of death, while vitamin D deficiency by itself was associated with an increase of up to 91%. When both conditions were present, however, the risk of death rose by more than twofold
How Belly Fat May Reduce Available Vitamin D
Alexandre says abdominal obesity and vitamin D deficiency may reinforce one another in a harmful cycle. Abdominal fat can “sequester” vitamin D circulating in the body, storing it in adipocytes (fat cells) instead of leaving it available in the bloodstream
“This means that although the body may have the vitamin stored in fat, it isn’t freely available in the blood to perform vital functions in other organs and systems,” he says
Obesity may also interfere with the way the body processes vitamin D. People with obesity have lower expression of enzymes involved in vitamin D metabolism, further limiting how much of the vitamin is available for the body to use
“Abdominal obesity reduces circulating vitamin D, and that deficiency impairs the immune system, exacerbating the chronic inflammation caused by excess fat and drastically increasing the risk of mortality,” Alexandre explains to Agência FAPESP
Aging, Inflammation, and Vitamin D
The combination may be particularly important later in life because aging itself is associated with inflammaging, a state of low-grade chronic inflammation
“Under normal conditions, vitamin D acts as a regulator of the immune system, preventing inflammation from getting out of control. When vitamin D levels are low and there’s excess abdominal fat, an unfavorable systemic environment develops that accelerates cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, as well as muscle loss,” he stresses
The new findings are part of a broader series of studies examining how vitamin D affects health during aging
“In previous studies, we identified a cascade effect. Vitamin D deficiency leads to a loss of strength, which results in reduced walking speed, causing a loss of independence and greater dependence in daily activities,” Alexandre explains
The research group has also found in a separate study that vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of cognitive decline
“Vitamin D is a hormone with various functions. It plays a role in regulating blood pressure, heart rate, the central nervous system, the immune system, and the endocrine system. Therefore, when its levels are low, several essential bodily functions are compromised,” he says
Story Source:
Materials provided by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo. Note: Content may be edited for style and length
Journal Reference:
- Joyce da Silva Milliati, Thaís Barros Pereira da Silva, Roberta de Oliveira Máximo, Mariane Marques Luiz, Sara Souza Lima, Andrew Steptoe, Cesar de Oliveira, Tiago da Silva Alexandre. Does the Combination of Abdominal Obesity and Vitamin D Deficiency Increase the Risk of Death in Individuals Aged 50 or Older? Evidence From the ELSA Study. Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, 2026; 28 (8): 6607 DOI: 10.1111/dom.70839
Cite This Page:
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo. “This common vitamin deficiency becomes far more dangerous when paired with belly fat.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 August 2026. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260813045554.htm>.
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo. (2026, August 13). This common vitamin deficiency becomes far more dangerous when paired with belly fat. ScienceDaily. Retrieved August 13, 2026 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260813045554.htm
Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo. “This common vitamin deficiency becomes far more dangerous when paired with belly fat.” ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/08/260813045554.htm (accessed August 13, 2026).
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