Vitamin D is often described as the SUNSHINE VITAMIN as it’s produced when skin is exposed to sunshine, or rather, the ultraviolet B (UV-B) radiation that the sun emits – produces Vitamin D3.
You may get small amounts of Vitamin D from your diet – it’s thought about 10% of your requirement may come from food. Vitamin D3 form is available from foods e.g. oily fish, butter, eggs.
Vitamin D2 found in plant-based foods e.g. mushrooms, fortified soya milk and almond milk, however D2 needs to be converted to D3 by the body and Vitamin D3 converted to its active form (Calcitriol) by the liver and kidneys.
We’ll talk about:
Why an optimal Vitamin D status is important for runners
How do you test for Vitamin D and what is an optimal Vitamin D status?
Practical suggestions to help you optimise Vitamin D status.
SHOW NOTES
05:34)
Why is Vitamin D important for optimal health and especially for runners?
Vitamin D is important for everyone and especially for runners. Vitamin D has wide ranging functions across the whole body. Vitamin D Receptors (VDRs), which mediate the biological functions of Vitamin D are found across the body in the cells of most organs and tissues e.g. brain, heart, skin, intestines, pancreas, bone, kidneys, prostate and breast, which demonstrates just how widely Vitamin D is utilised.
· Runners need to protect their BONES – we want to retain a healthy bone mineral density and protect against fractures E.g. stress fractures or fractures as a result of accidents. Vitamin D has a key role to play in the absorption and utilisation of calcium for strong bones
· MUSCLE function is very important for runners – Vit D has a role in muscle repair and remodelling which will help protect against injury and support performance and recovery.
· To keep up with training schedules and competition throughout the year it’s important to minimise/prevent COLDS/FLU/UPPER RESPIRATORY TRACT INFECTIONS which are a common complaint of runners during the colder months. It’s thought that Vitamin D supports the immune system by inhibiting viral replication and microbial entry into lungs.
· Vitamin D supports the CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM for heart structure and function – remember the heart is a large muscle!! Vitamin D promotes vasodilation – vital for blood flow and the delivery of extra oxygen and nutrients to the muscles during exercise.
(09:52)
Is there is any evidence to suggest that Vitamin D improves running performance?
· Low vitamin D status could negatively impact the health and training efficiency of athletes – for all the reasons we’ve mentioned earlier
· There doesn’t seem to be clear evidence to support maintaining Vitamin D level at “supranormal levels” i.e. >100–125 nmol/L, in order to achieve an improved athletic performance – it appears that optimal status of 75-100nmol/L is recommended for optimal health and good sporting performance
(11:45)
As runners spend a lot of time outdoors you’d imagine that their Vitamin D status would be good – is this the case?
Evidence suggests that trends in Vitamin D deficiency in global populations are similar in athletic populations. That’s because of the risk factors and barriers for a low Vitamin D status.
We know that optimal sun exposure is key for Vitamin D production so location and lifestyle will play a factor:
· Living in the Northern hemisphere – generally less sun exposure
· Covering up with clothes and sunscreen –...
