During NFL season – Omega-3 down by 2.5 points while Vitamin D up by 9 ng

Created March 2018

A profile of body composition, omega-3 and vitamin D in National Football League players.

J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2018 Mar 1. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.18.08122-7. [Epub ahead of print]

Omega-3 * Suspect the Vitamin D increase was due to supplementation recommended by team doctors * Perhaps Omega-3 was consumed by intense athletics * Perhaps the index went down because team members ate more Omega-6 during the season (fast foods) * Note: The Omega-3 index decreases when Omega-6 is increased * I use Vectomega brand of Omega-3 – Admin of VitaminDWiki, May 2014 Vitamin D * Lack of Vitamin D Can Sideline College Football Players – Jan 2018 * More muscle injuries in NFL players who were low on vitamin D – July 2011 * NHL discovers Vitamin D – their ideal is 40-120 ng – 2016 * Olympic Athletes and vitamin D - clippings 2009-10 1. Overview Sports and vitamin D has the following summary {include}

Blue MN1,2, Trexler ET1,2, Hirsch KR1,2, Smith-Ryan AE3,2.

  • 1 Applied Physiology Laboratory, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

  • 2 Human Movement Science Curriculum, Department of Allied Health Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

  • 3 Applied Physiology Laboratory, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA - abbsmith@email.unc.edu.

BACKGROUND:

Body composition (%BF), omega-3 and vitamin D (VitD) status are important components of an athlete's individual physiological profile, as each measure has potential to influence performance, inflammation, and injury recovery. The purpose of this study was to characterize %BF, omega-3, and VitD in a subset of professional football athletes. Secondary analyses investigated changes in %BF, omega-3, and VitD, throughout a competitive season, and evaluated the relationship between physiological variables, race, and injury prevalence.

METHODS:

Forty-two professional football players (Age: 24.0±2.4 yrs; Height: 186.8±5.9 cm; Weight: 108.8±19.4 kg) volunteered to participate. A-mode ultrasonography measured %BF and the percentage of highly unsaturated fatty acid content comprised of omega-3s was determined by an omega-3 bloodspot test. Vitamin D levels and injury prevalence were obtained from the team athletic trainer.

RESULTS:

Omega-3 was moderately correlated with VitD (R=0.397, p=0.030). Throughout the season there was a significant decrease in omega-3 percentage (∆=-2.47±5.48%, p=0.030), no change in body composition (∆=0.26±1.97%, p=0.482) and a significant increase in VitD (∆=9.03 ± 19.46 ng/mL, p=0.015). VitD was significantly higher in white athletes (48.00±13.73 ng/mL) than black athletes (27.09±9.28 ng/mL; p<0.001) and athletes of other races (23.33±4.73 ng/mL; p=0.004).

CONCLUSIONS:

Throughout the season, %BF was maintained, VitD levels increased, and omega-3 decreased. White athletes had significantly higher VitD levels than athletes of all other races. There were no differences in the physiological variables between injury severity categories. The results from the current study provides support for the potential importance of VitD and omega-3 supplementation for professional football athletes.

PMID: 29498249 DOI: 10.23736/S0022-4707.18.08122-7

Tags: Omega-3 Sports