Are Vitamin D and sporting performance connected?
The link between Vitamin D and the athletic performance has been established by a number of recent studies. The facts have been researched and now a growing number of sports doctors and trainers recommend it.
For many years, it was thought that vitamin D has just one purpose. Its connection with bone growth and improvement of bone density was established early on but no further research was conducted on the various aspects of the mechanism of vitamin D.
In the late 2000’s, the link between the performance of athletes and the levels of vitamin D in their bodies was studied. It was found out that top performing athletes have normal or above normal levels of the vitamin.
This puzzled the scientists who went on to uncover the previously unknown benefits of the vitamin D.
Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that is unique in the list of essential trace nutrients. It is the only one on the list that the human body can synthesize. This was an important discovery and it opened the doors to further research on this amazing substance.
What is the connection between vitamin D and sporting performance?
The link is twofold and is still being researched by the scientists. The first and the most important role of vitamin D is in the health of the bones and skeleton. This is an important area of study where much work has been done.
Strong bones are essential in any sport and lack of bone density is the number one problem of athletes. Because of the severe stress that the sporting activities incur, the human skeleton loses some of the bone material.
Vitamin D accelerates the absorption of bone building nutrients, calcium and phosphorus, from the food. This rebuilds the bone density and repairs the damage to the skeleton.
The second link, discovered just a few years back, is now accepted by many medical and sports authorities. Vitamin D is very important for the muscular health of the body.
The fast twitch muscles, the kind that are important for speed and agility, depend on this vitamin. These are often the first muscles to sustain damage during any physical activity. Vitamin D is an important component in recovery of the fast twitch muscle
groups.
The deficiency of Vitamin D can be a surprising factor in the poor performance of many athletes. Deena Michelle Kastor is a well known American runner who has won many honours in the sport.
During the Summer Olympics of 2008, she competed unsuccessfully in the women marathon.
She had to drop out of the race because of a foot injury. The doctors were mystified about the injury until someone thought of measuring her Vitamin D level.
The result showed that Kastor had a severe deficiency that affected her bone structure and caused the injury.
Although, her body had ample reserves of calcium and other nutrients, the deficiency of Vitamin D meant that those reserves were not properly utilized.
Vitamin D is now considered an important supplement for many sports. Along with proteins and trace elements, it is regularly monitored to ensure that the proper level is maintained at all times.
The most cost effective way of topping up vitamin D is to spend four to five hours a week in sunlight. Human body synthesizes the vitamin in the presence of sunlight and stores it in the fat deposits.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own and in no way represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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