Saha, Tithe, Nath, Sabuj Kanti, Khatun, Papia, Kundu, Swarup Kumar, Yadav, Anil, Rocky, Zahid Hasan, Ape, Tishita Sen, and Devi, Purbita (2025) Comparative Effects of Vitamin D3 and Sunlight on Ameliorating High-Fat Diet–Induced Obesity in Mice. Journal of Food Biochemistry, 2025. 4930890.

Preview

PDF (Published Version) - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract

Vitamin D deficiency is linked to various chronic diseases, including obesity, insulin resistance, hyperlipidemia, liver disease, and hypertension. This study investigates the comparative effects of vitamin D3 supplementation and sunlight exposure on high-fat diet–induced obesity in albino mice. After 16 weeks on a butter-rich diet, obese mice gained 15 ± 2 g more than controls (T<inf>0</inf>). The obese cohort was then subdivided into four groups (8 mice each): untreated obese controls (T<inf>1</inf>), sunlight exposure (T<inf>2</inf>), vitamin D<inf>3</inf> supplementation (T<inf>3</inf>), and combined sunlight plus vitamin D<inf>3</inf> supplementation (T<inf>4</inf>). After 30 days, the obese control group exhibited significant weight gain with elevated glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and liver enzymes, alongside reduced HDL levels (p < 0.001). In contrast, all treatment groups, particularly those receiving combined sunlight and vitamin D<inf>3</inf>, showed marked improvements in these parameters, including significant reductions in metabolic markers and liver enzymes (p < 0.001). Serum 25 (OH) D levels remained stable in normal controls (30–32 ng/mL), declined in obese controls (15–18 ng/mL), increased moderately with sunlight (33–35 ng/mL) or synthetic vitamin D<inf>3</inf> (32–34 ng/mL), and reached the highest values under combined treatment (37–39 ng/mL). Histological analysis revealed fat accumulation in the liver and kidneys, as well as adipocyte infiltration in the liver and heart of obese controls, changes not observed in treated groups. Collectively, these results indicate that improving vitamin D status via sunlight exposure or supplementation may offer a simple and effective approach to alleviating obesity-related metabolic dysfunction.

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page