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.
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.
Vitamin D deficiency has been recognized as a highly prevalent condition worldwide and presented in approximately 30% to 50% of the general population [7]. High r...
In 2011, the University Of Minnesota took women who take vitamins daily and studied them(Offit, Paul., 2013). The result was the same in that there was no supporting evidence that favors Pauling’s claims and statements. In conclusion, the general public believed the words of a man who had no specific evidence to support his own claims over researches done by trusted establishments who had evidence towards their own claims against Linus Pauling. Vitamin D is essential in many aspects especially during growth periods such as adolescents and infancy as indicated by Winston Koo and Nitin Walyat who are the respective authors of “Vitamin D and Skeletal Growth and Development”. Vitamin D is essential for the body as it helps development organ cells; without the development of organ cells, the body cannot fight against harsh diseases and it will eventually cause severe diseases which can lead to delayed growth rate(Koo, Winston ., 2013, p.188).. Children who drink breast milk are more prone to vitamin D deficiency because breast milk does not contain as many vitamins as mineral (Koo,
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.
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
A number of studies were unable to approve the role of vitamin D on atherosclerosis, CAD or IHD. The Multi-Ethnic study of Atherosclerosis after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, vitamin D status did not significantly affect arterial stiffness but PTH>65 pg/ml was associated with arterial stiffness. This association was not significant after adjustment for blood pressure.
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.
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.
Classically, vitamin D deficiency is known for its effects on bone, causing reduced mineralization, rickets and osteomalacia.[1, 3] However, many new roles of vitamin D have recently come to light, with more consequences attributed to its’ deficiency.[1] Vitamin D deficiency is increasingly associated with infectious diseases like tuberculosis, and non communicable diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and stroke.[1, 6, 8–11]
Vitamin D (Calciferol) is a fat soluble steroid prohormone that was first identified as a vitamin in the 20th century (Holicks, et al, 2011 ). It has two major forms- D2(ergocalciferol) and D3 (cholecalciferol) (Holicks et al, 2011, BMJ). The sources of vitamin D in human include sunlight (80-90%) and dietary source (10-20%) (Mithal et al, 2009). Dietary sources of vitamin D includes – salmon, canned fishes (sardines, tuna, mackerel) , cod liver oil, shitake mushroom, egg yolk, fortified mils and orange juice, infant formulas, fortified yoghurt and butter, fortified cereal as well as supplemental oral vitamin D.
...ke of vitamin b12 or cobalamin levels. Each study presented in this particular article showed that there were several stages in the cause of acquiring the deficiency and in the stage of intake solely through food, the cause of the deficiency were strict vegetarianism without vitamin supplementations. The conclusions similarly show that in each study in this article, the causes were noticeable to be by malabsorption, dietary deficiency and anemia. However contrasted, the studies did not each show that heredity was involved in elderly patients and lack of vitamin B12.
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 ...
...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.
Vitamin D can often be obtained with two different methods. The main method is the conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin into Vitamin D3 via sun exposure to absorb ultraviolet B radiation with a wavelength of 290-315nm (Holick 2007). The other method, is through consumption in diets through plants in the form of Vitamin D2; or fatty fishes, supplements or fortified vitamin D products in the form of Vitamin D3 (Lavie, Lee & Milani 2011). Vitamin D undergoes hydroxylation twice; first with the enzyme 25-hydroxylase to form 25-hydroxyvitamin D (Calcidiol) (Al Mheid et al. 2013). Then, Calcidiol is converted to the most active form of Vitamin D, 1,25-dihidroxyvitamin D Hormone (Calcitriol) with the help of renal 1--hydroxylase in the kidney (Al Mheid et al. 2013). Vitamin D2 and D3 are relatively similar since share the same hydroxylation pathway to produce Calcitriol (Tripkovic 2013), however, D3 has shown to have a greater influence on Calcidiol levels and thus more effective in maintaining Vitamin D health (Heaney et al. 2011).
“Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D.” nih.gov. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 25 November 2011.