Here's another reason to take that calcium and vitamin D supplement (or get a little bit of sunshine) — those bone building nutrients may also help your cholesterol levels.

A new analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative found that supplements of vitamin D and calcium might modestly improve cholesterol numbers. Previous studies were inconclusive, according to Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter (June 2014).

It's always best to get most of your calcium through your diet and supplement to fill in the gaps, however, getting enough vitamin D from dietary sources alone can be challenging. A glass of milk provides 100 International Units and most other food sources are less. The recommended RDA for vitamin D for both men and women is 600 IU for ages 19 to 70 and 800 IU for ages 71 plus.

In the new study of supplemental vitamin D and calcium's cholesterol effects, published in the journal "Menopause," researchers looked at data on 576 participants over an average of six years. Participants were randomly assigned to either 1,000 mg of calcium plus 400 IU of vitamin D supplements or a placebo. The original trial of the Women's Health Initiative focused on fracture risk and colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women, rather than cholesterol levels. But a subset of the study group had lipid and vitamin D blood levels tested at baseline and years one, three and six.

Supplementation was association with an average 4.46 mg/dL decrease in unhealthy LDL cholesterol compared to the placebo group. Triglycerides also decreased in the supplement group, while healthy HDL cholesterol levels increased. Every 38 percent increase in vitamin D levels in response to supplementation was association with a decline of 1.28 mg/dL in LDL cholesterol.

You can also boost your vitamin D levels with just a few minutes of sun exposure. Body fat acts like a storage battery for vitamin D. During periods of sunlight, vitamin D is stored in fatty tissue and then released when sunlight is gone. Our amazing bodies manage the vitamin D it makes itself, so we don't have to worry about combining sun and supplements.

Information courtesy of the Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter

Q and A

Q: My friend says that spot-reducing exercises can't really target fat at particular areas of the body. Is that true?

A: Exercises that focus on particular body parts can be very effective at strengthening the specific muscles involved and may lead to a more toned appearance, but they do not reduce the amount of fat in that particular area of the body. Depending on the specific muscle an exercise works, it can help you maintain good posture, thus reducing or avoiding lower back pain; promote better balance, thus reducing risk of falls; improve performance in sports, including cycling, tennis and golf; and improve your ability to keep up with life activities like climbing stairs, gardening or carrying suitcases and groceries. What's more, research is looking at how exercising a muscle may activate signaling in cells that controls hormones involved in blood sugar control and other important health functions. Exercise does burn calories, so as long as you don't make up for the extra calories burned by eating or drinking more, exercise should help reduce body fat over time. Individuals differ in where body fat tends to decrease first, and where it's harder to reduce. For many men and post-menopausal women, fat around the waist is the most difficult to trim, while for other women, especially before menopause, the hips and thighs seem to be the last areas to lose excess fat.

Information courtesy of the American Institute for Cancer Research

Recipe

Fire up the grill this weekend. Here's a recipe for Grilled Chicken Thighs with Peach Lime Salsa from Cooking Light magazine (June 2014).

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Peach Lime Salsa

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

6 garlic cloves, minced

6 (5-ounce) skinless bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh mint

1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 ripe peaches (about 1/2 pound), peeled and chopped

1 red or green jalapeno pepper, minced

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

6 lime wedges (optional)

Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add chicken; toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. To prepare salsa, combine onion and next 6 ingredients (through jalapeno); stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let stand 1 hour. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Let chicken stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Sprinkle chicken evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper. Place chicken on grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 6 minutes on each side or until done. Serve with salsa and lime wedges, if desired. Serves six (serving size: 1 thigh and about 1/3 cup salsa).

Per serving: 194 calories, 20 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 10.4 g fat, 110 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 367 mg sodium.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian at Hy-Vee in Springfield, Ill. For comments or questions, contact her at [email protected] or follow her on Twitter @Nutrition Rd. To find out more about Charlyn Fargo and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.