This Vitamin May Help Women 50+ Balance Blood Sugar & Hormones
There's no doubt about it: managing (and maintaining optimal) metabolic health gets harder with age, especially in menopause. Eating well (prioritizing protein and fiber), sleeping soundly, and strength training are all crucial components to improving your metabolism at this time. But how much of an impact can a vitamin have on metabolic health?
Well, researchers of a randomized clinical trial published Menopause looked how 9 months of vitamin D3 supplementation impacted levels of adiponectin and resistin (two key adipokine hormones that play an important role in insulin sensitivity, body composition, and inflammation) in vitamin D deficient women who were 50-65 years of age. Here's what you need to know.
What are adiponectin & resistin?
Adiponectin and resistin aren't the same as estrogen, progesterone, or other reproductive hormones. They're adipokines, a class of signaling proteins produced by fat tissue that help communicate with other parts of the body and play a role in metabolic and inflammatory processes.
- Adiponectin is generally considered metabolically favorable. Higher levels are associated with better insulin sensitivity and healthier metabolic function, while lower levels have been observed in people with obesity and metabolic dysfunction.
- Resistin has been studied in connection with insulin resistance and inflammation. While the relationship is complex and much of the research is observational, higher circulating resistin levels have been associated with less favorable metabolic outcomes.
RELATED READ: How Vitamin D May Help Reduce Type 2 Diabetes Risk
Vitamin D's impact on these hormones
After nine months, women taking vitamin D experienced an 18.6% increase in adiponectin and a 32.4% decrease in resistin (a significant change compared to the placebo group).
This combination (more adiponectin and less resistin) suggests that correcting vitamin D deficiency may influence some of the signaling pathways involved in metabolic health. And balancing these hormones can help several areas of metabolic health—body composition, blood sugar balance, and cardiovascular health.
It's also worth noting just how much the supplement changed participants' vitamin D status. Blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, the primary marker used to assess vitamin D status, increased by 45.4% in the vitamin D group. Meanwhile, levels in the placebo group decreased by 18.5%.
Considering 29% of U.S. adults1 are deficient in vitamin D, taking a daily supplement is the most effective (and easy) way to improve your vitamin D status. Not sure which one is best? Here is our list of expert-vetted vitamin D status. Reviewers especially love this option for raising stubbornly low levels.
RELATED READ: How Vitamin D May Help Reduce Type 2 Diabetes Risk
The takeaway
For women 50+ with vitamin D deficiency, taking (at least 1,000 IU) of vitamin D3 daily for nine months was associated with higher adiponectin and lower resistin—two changes that researchers consider relevant to metabolic health.*
If you haven't had your vitamin D levels checked recently, it's worth bringing up with your physician or ordering an at-home vitamin D test. As vitamin D also plays important roles in bone health, muscle function, and immunity, you want to make sure you're getting enough of this vital nutrient at every stage of life.