According to a new study, vitamin D levels in the body at the start of a low-calorie diet are a good predictor of the success of a weight loss program.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota measured circulating blood levels of vitamin D in 38 overweight people before and after they followed a diet plan that restricted their calorific intake by 750 units per day for 11 weeks.

The results suggest that for every increase of 1 nanogram per milliliter in level of a vitamin D precursor, the subjects lost nearly a half pound more on their calorie-restricted diet. For each 1 ng/mL increase in the active form of vitamin D, they lost nearly one-quarter pound more.

Moreover, higher baseline vitamin D levels (both the precursor and active forms) predicted greater loss of abdominal fat.

“Our results suggest the possibility that the addition of vitamin D to a reduced-calorie diet will lead to better weight loss,” says Dr Shalamar Sibley, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota.

In addition to dietary sources, vitamin D can also be obtained from nutritional supplements.