Plausible ergogenic effects of vitamin D on athletic performance and recovery

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to examine vitamin D in the context of sport nutrition and its potential role in optimizing athletic performance. Vitamin D receptors (VDR) and vitamin D response elements (VDREs) are located in almost every tissue within the human body including skeletal muscle. The hormonally-active form of vitamin D, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D, has been shown to play critical roles in the human body and regulates over 900 gene variants. Based on the literature presented, it is plausible that vitamin D levels above the normal reference range (up to 100 nmol/L) might increase skeletal muscle function, decrease recovery time from training, increase both force and power production, and increase testosterone production, each of which could potentiate athletic performance. Therefore, maintaining higher levels of vitamin D could prove beneficial for athletic performance. Despite this situation, large portions of athletic populations are vitamin D deficient. Currently, the research is inconclusive with regards to the optimal intake of vitamin D, the specific forms of vitamin D one should ingest, and the distinct nutrient-nutrient interactions of vitamin D with vitamin K that affect arterial calcification and hypervitaminosis. Furthermore, it is possible that dosages exceeding the recommendations for vitamin D (i.e. dosages up to 4000-5000 IU/day), in combination with 50 to 1000 mcg/day of vitamin K1 and K2 could aid athletic performance. This review will investigate these topics, and specifically their relevance to athletic performance.

Vitamin D and Physical Activity

“…The inability of the authors to document any beneficial effect of vitamin D on athletic performance may be due the fact that the participants of their study were not vitamin D deficient. It has been shown that the beneficial effects of vitamin D supplementation take place in individuals with significant vitamin D deficiency [158]. The lack of any beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation was also reported in another study involving football players [215].…”

“…It should be noted here that the baseline vitamin D levels of the majority soccer players in this study were deficient. Therefore the proposed mechanism by Dahlquist et al [158] was not applicable in this study. The authors suggest that other factors apart of vitamin D levels play a pivotal role including their initial training status.…”

“…Indeed, experimental findings suggest a major role of vitamin D in muscle mass, strength, and function. Vitamin D affects significantly the athletic ergometrics [158]. Furthermore, athletic performance appears to show a seasonal variability peaking when vitamin D levels peak and declining as they decline reaching nadir when vitamin D levels are at their lowest.…”

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

“…119 Vitamin D supplementation has moreover been demonstrated to augment athletic performance in vitamin D-deficient athletes. 100 Early studies on collegiate athletes and students showed that cardiovascular fitness, muscle endurance and speed were enhanced following exposure to ultraviolet radiation.…”

Importance of Vitamin D in Athletes and Exercise; A mini review

“…Investigation on the relationship between Vitamin D levels to athletic performance were evaluated by another study and showed that Vitamin D may improve athletic performance in vitamin D deficient athletes [6]. A second recent study evaluated the plausible ergogenic effects of vitamin D on athletic performance and recovery concluded that doses exceeding the recommendations for vitamin D could aid athletic performance [12].…”