Vitamin D and Athletic Performance

Bioletics www.bioletics.com.

An optimum level of vitamin D is an absolute essential for any athlete. Recent research has proven that vitamin D boosts immunity, hormonal activity, brain function and metabolism. It promotes muscular strength, speeds recovery and enhances both reaction time and balance.

In order to understand how vitamin D may impact your athletic performance, it is important to know that the active form of vitamin D is actually a hormone that, in many ways, acts like testosterone or growth hormone. It works directly at the cellular level of your body, directing all physical processes related to growth, repair and performance.

Although vitamin D can be obtained in small amounts from the food we eat, the sun is a better source. When UVB rays penetrate the skin, they unlock the body’s ability to make its own supply of vitamin D.

The human body can make thousands of units of vitamin D with the proper amount exposure to sunlight. When sunbathing during the summer months, the body can naturally produce about 20,000 IU’s of vitamin D—the same amount of vitamin D in 200 glasses of milk or the equivalent of that found in about 50 multivitamins.

Most athletes, however, don’t come close to getting enough sun to satisfy their bodies’ vitamin D needs—not even those who spend several hours training outside every day. Approximately 75% of all athletes are vitamin D deficient. Chances are, you’re deficient in vitamin D, too.

Your body requires 4,000 IU’s daily, just to maintain its current vitamin D level. In order to actually raise it, you’ll need to increase your amount of sun exposure (which isn’t always practical or possible, especially during the winter months) or take an oral vitamin D3 supplement.

A few words of advice:

Do NOT take vitamin D2 supplements. This unnatural from of vitamin D is 50% less effective than vitamin D3 and is metabolized into potentially-toxic substances. Vitamin D2 is very expensive and only available by prescription

Two very important things to remember:

1. It is absolutely essential that you get your vitamin D levels assessed regularly (a simple finger stick is all that’s required). While the body will not produce more vitamin D than it needs, it is possible to take too much vitamin D orally.

Optimal levels of vitamin D fall within the range of 50-65 ng/ml (nanograms per milliliter). To safely and accurately determine your needs, first establish your baseline level. After following a vitamin D supplementation program for three months, repeat the assessment. Once your levels have reached an optimal range, switch to a maintenance dose. Then, consider assessing yourself at regular intervals in March (following winter when your level is likely to be at its lowest) and August/September (when it is likely to be a its highest).

An inexpensive, at-home assessment kit can purchase at www.bioletics.com

2. There is no optimal dose of vitamin D. Because you are a biologically-unique individual, your need for vitamin D (from either the sun or supplementation) will be different from any other athlete’s. The approximate dosage of vitamin D needed to maintain a blood level between 50-80ng/ml is 1,000 units of vitamin D3 per 25 pounds of body weight daily. But it may take double—or triple—that amount to raise your level if it is very low.

We are only beginning to realize what our bodies have intuitively known for thousands of years—the sun provides us with tremendous healing and performance potential. Restoring optimal vitamin D levels with regular and managed exposure to UV light and/or oral supplementation is one of the most important things you can do for your athletic body.