Antecedents in the literature suggest that vitamin D (VD) play a role in overweigh/obesity. The present study evaluated the effect of VD deficiency diet intake and fat hight on overweight/obesity about white adipose tissue (WAT) and body mass (BM) gain. Animals were divided into four experimental groups according to the lipid and VD content of their diets; G1: CVD+ (C: control diet with VD+; n=5), G2: CVD- (control diet without VD-; n=5), G3: HFVD+ (high fat diet, with VD+; n=5), G4: HFVD- (HF diet without VD-; n=5). The diets were administered for three months and BW was monitored weekly. At the end of this period all animals were euthanized. Epididymal (EFM), retroperitoneal (RFM) and subcutaneous (SFM) fat mass were removed, weighted. At 12 weeks the body mass of the animals that were fed without VD- diets; G2: 507.60±17.31 g, and G4: 528.50±13.50 g were significantly higher (p < 0.05), than the counterparts G1: 485.0±11.29 g and G3: 521.20±26.20 g respectively. Similarly, the animals fed with VD- diets had a greater EFM and SFM (p < 0.05) compared with the respective controls (VD+). Nevertheless, the animals fed with high fat diet had equal RFM (G3: 12.2±4.10 g, G4: 12.88±2.3 g, p > 0.05). The results demonstrate that the nutrition of rats with diet deficient in VD and high fat, promotes overweight by increasing fat deposits, suggestion a cause-effect relationship between VD deficiency and overweight. These results suggest that VD deficiency increases the risk of visceral fat obesity in males.

KEY WORDS: VD deficiency; Gain weight; Fat gain; Fat pad; Visceral fat obesity.

MERINO, O.; GREGÓRIO, B.; SAMPAIO, F.; SÁNCHEZ, R. & RISOPATRÓN, J. Role of vitamin D in the development of obesity. Int. J. Morphol., 35(4):1568-1575, 2017.