Winter Weight Gain - Why?

Many people tend to gain weight in the winter, but have you ever thought about why?  An interesting new study from the University of Alberta discovered another cause.  It turns out there is a connection to how our fat cells respond to Vitamin D.  

Specifically, “When the sun's blue light wavelengths — the light we can see with our eye — penetrate our skin and reach the fat cells just beneath, lipid droplets reduce in size and are released out of the cell. In other words, our cells don't store as much fat,” said Peter Light, senior author of the study, who is a Professor of Pharmacology and the Director of UAlberta’s Alberta Diabetes Institute.

As we know sunlight provides us with a good dose of this vitamin, but sadly in the winter many of us are indoors and are unable to get as much of it.  That decreased amount of Vitamin D could promote fat storage, and weight gain.  More research is needed in this area, but the exciting thing is that it could open up opportunities for further exploration ultimately leading to light-based or pharmacological treatments for obesity. 

Reference:, Robard Corporation, 12, February 2018, A New Discovery Might Help Explain Winter Weight Gain,  http://www.robard.com/blog/post/2018/02/12/a-new-discovery-might-help-explain-winter-weight-gain.aspx?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=blogpromotion&utm_content=02122018&utm_source=RC+%26+ND+Prospects&utm_campaign=461eb36a29-BLOG_PROMOTION_2017_10_18&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_cec7f3976b-461eb36a29-393837989