A recent study has revealed that obese teenagers need much more vitamin D than those who weigh significantly less. The National Institutes of Health in the U.S. have known for years that while vitamin D deficiency is common in all Americans, it is especially seen to affect overweight and obese adolescents.

“If obese adolescents only consumed the recommended 600 IUs (International Units), they would be in trouble,” Catherine Peterson, a study author, said in a statement. “It takes 4,000 IUs to raise their vitamin D status within a sufficient range… This indicates that physicians need to carefully evaluate the vitamin D status as their overweight and obese patients.”