Outdoor distance runners had great Vitamin D levels (50 ng) – Dec 2015

Female Distance Runners Training in Southeastern United States Have Adequate Vitamin D Status.

Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2015 Dec 16. Epub ahead of print
Wentz LM1, Liu PY, Ilich JZ, Haymes EM.
Department of Nutrition Science, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC.

BACKGROUND:
High rates of vitamin D deficiency have been reported in athletes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations between vitamin D and bone health, and parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations in female runners who trained at 30.4° degrees north.
METHODS:
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), PTH, body composition, and bone mineral density (BMD) were measured in 59 female runners, aged 18-40 years. Stress fracture history, training duration and frequency were evaluated by questionnaire. As per National Endocrine Society cut-offs, serum vitamin D ranges were: 25(OH)D < 50 nmol/L for deficient; 50-75 nmol/L for insufficient; and ≥ 75 nmol/L for sufficient status.
RESULTS:
Mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations were 122.6±63.9 nmol/L, with 18.6% of subjects in the deficient (5.1%) or insufficient (13.5%) range. No significant differences were observed between sufficient and deficient/insufficient subjects for BMD, PTH, history of stress fractures, or demographic data.
CONCLUSIONS:
The majority of distance runners maintained sufficient vitamin D status, suggesting that training outdoors in latitude where vitamin D synthesis occurs year-round reduces the risk for vitamin D deficiency. Data do not support the indiscriminate supplementation of outdoor athletes in southern latitudes without prior screening.

PMID: 26696653

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See also VitaminDWiki

Outdoor activities prescribed by 20 French doctors to treat diseases associated with low vitamin D – Nov 2015
Elite outdoor athletes had 52 ng of vitamin D – March 2013
Overview Sports and vitamin D has the following summary
Athletes are helped by vitamin D by:

1. Faster reaction time
2. Far fewer colds/flus during the winter
3. Less sore/tired after a workout
4. Fewer micro-cracks and broken bones
5. Bones which do break heal much more quickly
6. Increased VO2 and exercise endurance Feb 2011
7. Indoor athletes especially need vitamin D
8. Professional indoor athletes are starting to take vitamin D and/or use UV beds
9. Olympic athletes have used UV/vitamin D since the 1930's
10. The biggest gain from the use of vitamin D is by those who exercise less than 2 hours per day.
11. Reduced muscle fatigue with 10,000 IU vitamin D daily
12. Muscle strength improved when vitamin D added: 3 Meta-analysis
13. Reduced Concussions
    See also: Sports and Vitamin D category 279 items