Athletic Performance: Where D Gets You an A
This study of vitamin D and athletic performance included 103 college athletes from the United States. The researchers wanted to see what effect vitamin D levels had on athletic performance because recent evidence suggests that low vitamin D is associated with decreased muscle formation. . . .
For example, when 99 healthy teenage girls participated in a jumping test in a previous study, the ones with the highest levels of vitamin D were the ones with the highest jumps because they had the greatest muscle power. They had significantly greater jump height, velocity, power and force (J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009;94:559-63).
In the new study, after having their vitamin D levels measured, the athletes each had their level of athletic performance tested by completing a vertical jump test, a shuttle run test, a triple hop for distance test and the 1 repetition maximum squat test.
The athletes who had low levels of vitamin D performed significantly worse on all four tests. They were 15% more likely to do worse on the vertical jump test, 18% more likely to do worse on the shuttle run test, 72% more likely to do worse on the triple hop test and 77% more likely to do worse on the shuttle run test.
Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab 2016;doi:10.1123/ijsnem.2016-0052
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