Good nutrition and its role in positively affecting athletic performance has become more and more evident almost daily. Specific macro and micronutrients are better understood as to their specific functions within the body and from that how they can influence the body’s ability to perform while under duress. An example of such would be the stress of athletic performance. Vitamin D, which is also referred to as cholecalciferol, is one of the fat soluble vitamins that have been attributed to influencing athletic performance. However, vitamin D is not as much a “performance enhancing” nutrient in the sense that when taken in higher amounts it will aid athletic performance, but rather when in deficient amounts it can hinder athletic performance.
The American Dietetic Association’s position statement on Nutrition and Athletic Performance, written in conjunction with the Dietitians of Canada and the American College of Sports Medicine, makes specific references to the effects of Vitamin D, both independently and in reference to other micronutrients who are influenced by Vitamin D within the body. The American Dietetic Association’s position statement also describes that Vitamin D is required for a myriad of functions within the body, which include adequate calcium absorption, regulation of serum calcium and phosphorous levels, promotion of bone health, and regulation of homeostasis and development of the nervous system and skeletal muscles 1.
Who is at risk?
The position statement makes an initial statement to point out that vegetarian athletes are at a higher risk of being vitamin D deficient 1. Dietary sources of vitamin D include wild-caught fatty fish, a food that would obviously be absent from a vegetarian’s diet. However, th...
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...rts Medicine. Position Statement: Nutrition and Athletic Performance2009.
2. Cannell JJ, Hollis BW, Sorenson MB, Taft TN, Anderson JJB. Athletic Performance and Vitamin D. Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise. 2009;41(5):1102-1110.
3. Levis S, Gomez A, Jimenez C. Vitamin d deficiency and seasonal variation in an adult South Florida population. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005;90(3):1557-1562.
4. Heaney RP. The vitamin D requirement in health and disease. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2005;97(1-2):13-19.
5. Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:266-281.
6. Hamilton B. Vitamin D and Human Skeletal Muscle. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2009:1-9.
7. Turner MK, Hooten WM, Schmidt JE, Kerkvliet JL, Townsend CO, Bruce BK. Prevalence and Clinical Correlates of Vitamin D Inadequacy among Patients with Chronic Pain. Pain Medicine. 2008;9(8):979-984.
Are young athletes being pushed too far to always perform at higher and higher expectations? Taking vitamins are highly recommended by doctors, but there are some supplements that are illegal for use in high school sports. New pre-workout supplements cause new high school drug policies, research into both the active ingredients and short/long term effects of these products. These pre-workouts are this generation’s steroids and can have side effects that are just as dangerous. Their purpose is to provide you with a burst of quick and long lasting energy, increased blood flow, muscle growth, and faster recovery periods. Their popularity is growing faster than the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) can research them and provide more information on what these products truly do to your body, such as whether they are actually safe for young adult athletes to use.
AERENHOUTS, D., DERIEMAEKER, P., HEBBELINCK, M., & CLARYS, P. (2011). Energy and macronutrient intake in adolescent sprint athletes: A follow-up study. Journal Of Sports Sciences, 29(1), 73-82.
Kuhn, C., Swartzwelder, S., and Wilson, W. Pumped: Straight Facts for Athletes about Drugs, Supplements, and Training. 2000. W.W. Norton, New York and London.
Fahey, Thomas D., EdD. Specialist in Sports Conditioning Workbook and Study Guide. California: International Sports Sciences Association, 2007. Print
Since ancient times vitamin D has been the predominant cause of bone deficiencies.1 However, it was not in till the seventeenth century when both Dr. Daniel Whistler and Professor Francis Glisson made the first scientific description of a vitamin D deficiency.2 During the mid-seventeenth century there was an increase amount of children that were diagnosed with the bone disease called rickets.2 The cause of the rickets was determined to be associated to the lack of sunlight. A German researcher Kurt Huldschinsky came to the conclusion that when infants were exposed to ultraviolet light rays they became cured of rickets2. He stated that a substance in the skin was the potential source of the cure.2 In 1922, American scientist Elmer McCollum proved that when cod liver oil was heated; the beneficial effects of vitamin A in the oil were reduced.2 However, the oil remained effective in curing rickets leading McCollum to reason that a nutrient different from vitamin A was present in the oil. As a result, he named this nutrient vitamin D, which became the fourth vitamin to be discovered and named.2 Additionally, shortly after 1918, vitamin D was also discovered by an accidental experiment that included a group of scientists curing dogs affected with rickets by feeding cod liver oil to them.1
The Development of drugs and supplements used by mankind has evolved from what it once was in its early stages of existence. As with all man-made things, it is said that anything made by man can be improved (Moore, p35). With this concept, almost anything in nature can apply. In this case, the development of anabolic supplements and the human body. In the later years, the usage of supplements in sporting events have helped athletes achieve new goals which could not have been accomplished through training alone. With the Human body, there is only so much room for improvement until a limit has been achieved in the progress of a persons developments. With these limits in the development in the human body, certain frustrations can result from witnessing no benefits in physical training. Even for those individuals who are ill and plague with a disease, the usage of supplements can aid that individual back to health. The same reasoning can be applied to a bodybuilder who has reached his maximum and can no longer attain new goals. But certain questions arise when the usage of supplements are in to play, "Do they (supplements) actually working?","Are supplements hazardous to the health?","Are the supplements just a waste of money and don't benefit anything?". All of those questions are what the developers of chemist, doctors, and training consultant take into consideration before actually creating a new product or recommending someone to use supplements. The question that I would like to answer for myself, "Are supplements actually beneficial in attaining new gains and do they genuinely produce results?" The answer ...
Society has recently become increasingly obsessed with health and nutrition, as more and more individuals realize that they can dramatically change their quality of life by adjusting their diet and lifestyle. One way that people have tried to pursue a healthier lifestyle, is by removing meat and other animal products from their diets, whether they become a strict vegetarian who eats no animal byproducts, or a lacto-ovo vegetarian who still eats eggs and dairy. As with any other lifestyle, research is always being done to see if the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and so far, the results of vegetarian diets have been encouraging. Vegetarian diets have proven to decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and many other health problems. With a little planning and dedication, a vegetarian diet will be healthier and more beneficial than a traditional diet
The body can manufacture only vitamin D; all others must be derived from the diet. Lack of them causes a wide range of metabolic and other dysfunctions. In the U.S., since 1940, the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council has published recommended dietary allowances (RDA) for vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients.
Phillips, F. “Vegetarian Nutrition.” British Nutrition Foundation: Nutrition Bulletin 30.2 (2005): 132-167. Web. 3 Apr. 2014.
Innumerous scientists confirm that nutrition and dietary supplementation can deeply affect molecular and cellular processes that occur in the body during the exercise and the recovery process. This brief review analyzes the potential for performance enhancement through protein supplementation ingestion, and the importance of nutrition education for sports supplement users.
...n D has an important use, creating strong bones to aid the body from breaks and fractures, also from diseases like Rickets and Osteomalacia. “Rickets and Osteomalacia are similar diseases, with the latter affecting young children whereas Rickets affects adults. They are both horrible diseases. The effects of both diseases are irreversible, and to contract either of these two diseases a person must suffer from a Vitamin D deficiency.” (Ultraviolet Waves) Therefore, to prevent this, Vitamin D is essential.
Whether it is on a track, a pitch, court or rink, nutrition is of vital importance in the development of a healthy, competitive athlete. Athletes must depend on highly nutritious and vitamin rich to keep their body at their healthiest, their mind focused to maximize their performance.
The health benefits of a vegetarian diet are hard to ignore. Vegetarians have a lower chance of developing many diseases, such as cancer and diabetes. Women who eat meat daily are more likely to develop breast cancer. According to an article in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, “consumption of well-done meats and, thus, exposures to heterocyclic amines (or other compounds) formed during high-temperature cooking may play an important role in the risk of breast cancer.” Men are also more than almost more likely to develop prostate cancer than those who do not include meat in their everyday diets. “Up to 80 percent of prostate cancer is attributed to dietary practices, and international comparisons show strong positive associations with meat consumption” (Alexander, 2010). Vegetarians have also shown to have lower blood pressure, better digestion, and more energy than humans with a meat based diet. The effects of a vegetarian life style ...
Society has recently become increasingly obsessed with health and nutrition, as more and more individuals realize that they can dramatically change their quality of life by adjusting their diet and lifestyle. One such way that people have tried to pursue a healthier lifestyle, is by removing meat and other animal products from their diets, whether they become a strict vegetarian who eats no animal byproducts, or a lacto-ovo vegetarian who still eats eggs and dairy. As with any other lifestyle, research is always being done to see if the benefits outweigh the disadvantages, and so far, the results of vegetarian diets have been encouraging. Vegetarian diets have proven to decrease the risk of heart disease, cancer, obesity, and many other health problems. With a little planning and dedication, a vegetarian diet will be healthier and more beneficial than a traditional diet that includes meat and animal products.
Critics of vegetarianism do not believe that going on a plant based diet is the healthier choice. According to Nancy Rodriguez , people need to have a balanced diet consisting of the basic food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and dairy. Vegetarians are getting the important nutrients from vegetables, fruits, grains, and dairy but are missing important vitamins that they would normally get from proteins, such as, vitamin D, vitamin B12, zinc, iron, and calcium. These nutrients are available in other foods but vegetarians are not able to get it in large amounts as they would be in meat. This insufficient amount of nutrients could create health problems in the future, for example, not having enough vitamin D could lead to bad bone structure. It is true that becoming a vegetarian could lead to some nutritional problems in the body however; there are many more positive aspects in becoming a vegetarian than negatives.