Vitamin D & Your Athletic Performance (Seattle Chiropractor Report)
Seattle Chiropractor Report: Vitamin D
Avoiding the sun? I’m sure it’s not intentional. After all, we do live in Seattle. Majority of our population is vitamin D deficient, and every athlete competing in the northern half of the United States—and Canada and Europe—is at an even greater risk of the deficiency.
Recently, it was reported in the New England Journal of Medicine that the number of diseases associated with vitamin D deficiency, especially those that afflict athletes, is growing. In addition, it has been proved that when low vitamin D levels are increased to the ideal level, athletic performance increases. Although it seems unlikely that athletes—especially young ones consuming a good diet—could be vitamin D deficient, evidence suggests that an unreasonably high number are.
Doctors state that the ideal level of vitamin D is near or above 50 ng/mL. At levels below 40-50 ng/mL, the body uses most or all of its sun-derived vitamin D to cover its immediate metabolic needs. The average level is around 25 ng/mL, which is much too low. Additional vitamin D can increase peak performance levels. Here is how:
Vitamin D, in its active form, is a steroid (really a secosteroid) similar to testosterone, meaning that it sets the stuff of life, or your genome, in motion. It is also a hormone in the same manner that a growth hormone is a hormone. There is no question that steroids can improve athletic performance, but does this constitute an unfair advantage or “doping”?
No. Because vitamin D deficiency is associated with numerous serious illnesses and puts an athlete at greater risk for early death, withholding vitamin D in vitamin D-deficient athletes is against modern medical ethics. Therefore, increasing vitamin D levels is not “doping”, it is simply good treatment.
So, all research points in the same direction: Vitamin D will improve athletic performance in vitamin D deficient people (which includes most people!). Athletes who hold greater risks include indoor athletes, those who properly use sunblock (which is a good thing), dark-skinned athletes, and participants at higher latitudes.
Increasing from low to adequate levels requires thousands of IU of vitamin D daily—this might be unheard of to some physicians, but is the only way to override the deficiency and reach your peak performance.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email Kevin Rindal, Seattle Chiropractor at DrRindal@InHealthSeattle.com.