Evaluation of Vitamin D’s Effect in Reduction of Obesity in a Rabbit Model

Background: Obesity is currently a global health problem, and it is one of the risk factors leading to a high number of deaths per year. Several studies were carried out to identify the causes of overweight and obesity. Vit. D deficiency is presumed to have an effect on the development of obesity.
Objective: This study's objective is to evaluate the impact of vitamin D in reduction of obesity in a rabbit model and its effect on the lipid profile.
Methods: Ten male rabbits were split up into two groups for the experiment; (a) control group (with a fatty rich diet), (b) vitamin D group (with a fatty rich diet + vitamin D supplementation for 4 weeks). Blood samples for lipid profile (TG, LDL, and HDL) were collected before and at the end of the study, and their body weights were measured as well.
Results: Following four weeks of the trial, the animals in the control group weighed significantly more than those in the vitamin D group. The increase in serum TG and LDL were significant for the control animals in related to the vitamin D animals. In addition, there is a significant rise in the good serum HDL in the control group compared to the vitamin D group.
Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that vitamin D has an important effect in reduction of body weight and obesity.