Sports Health Benefits of Vitamin D

Abstract

Context:Vitamin D is a potent secosteroid hormone that provides many skeletal and extraskeletal health benefits. Musculoskeletal injury prevention and recovery are potentially affected by sufficient circulating levels of the storage form of vitamin D: 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, or 25(OH)D. Vitamin D deficiency can exist among young, active, and healthy people, which may put them at increased risk for injury and prolonged recovery.Evidence Aquisition:PubMed was searched using vitamin D and skeletal muscle, vitamin D and athletic performance, and vitamin D review articles. Studies from the 1930s to 2012 were used for the review.Results:There is strong correlation between vitamin D sufficiency and optimal muscle function. Increasing levels of vitamin D reduce inflammation, pain, and myopathy while increasing muscle protein synthesis, ATP concentration, strength, jump height, jump velocity, jump power, exercise capacity, and physical performance. 25(OH)D levels above 40 ng/mL are required for fracture prevention, including stress fractures. Optimal musculoskeletal benefits occur at 25(OH)D levels above the current definition of sufficiency (> 30 ng/mL) with no reported sports health benefits above 50 ng/mL.Conclusions:Vitamin D deficiency is common in athletes. For athletes presenting with stress fractures, musculoskeletal pain, and frequent illness, one should have a heightened awareness of the additional likely diagnosis of vitamin D deficiency. Correction of this deficiency is completed by standardized and supervised oral supplementation protocols producing significant musculoskeletal sports health benefits.

Muscular effects of vitamin D in young athletes and non-athletes and in the elderly

“…10 Vitamin D signaling has additionally been reported to alter the expression of myotubular sizes, indicating a direct positive effect on the contractile filaments and thus muscle strength, while it prevents muscular degeneration and reverses myalgia. 11,12 Last but not least, vitamin D accelerates muscle recovery from the stress of intense exercise.…”

Relationship between vitamin D3 level and rheumatoid arthritis patients attending Rizgary Teaching Hospital in Erbil city

“…11 Walking exercise increases the level of vitamin D3 > 30 min daily. 12 About drug history RA patient's treatment are (DEMARD alone, combined DEMARDs or DEMARD + Biological agent). 13,14 The activity of disease was assessed by DAS28 and CDAI parameters.…”

Vitamin D, Optimal Health and Athletic Performance: A Review Study

“…It's also a hormone in the same way as growth hormone is a hormone. Activated vitamin D (calcitriol) is a steroid hormone, which regulates more than 1000 vitamin D-responsive human genes, may influence athletic performance [7,53,36]. Recent research indicates that these genes affect muscle protein synthesis, muscle strength, muscle size, reaction time, balance, coordination, endurance, inflammation, and immunity-all are important to maintain sports health and athletic performance.…”

“…Vitamin D deficiency is recognized as a worldwide epidemic, athletes are no exception. Several studies have focused a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency in the general population worldwide, whereas only few studies have found on athletes [30,52,53,59]. Vitamin D deficiency produces muscle fiber atrophy, slow peak muscle contraction; prolonged time to muscle relaxation, and increased risk of chronic musculoskeletal pain associated with different sports persons.…”