Mar 30, 2015

Vitamin D Insufficiencies in Elite Athletes

A new study that was presented at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons and documented by ScienceDaily.com has found that more than one-third of elite NCAA Division I athletes have low levels of vitamin D.

The research was initially published in the February 2014 online issue of Sports Health and found that:

• Men were 2.8 times more likely to have an abnormal level.
• Athletes with darker skin tones faced a “much higher risk,” with black athletes being 19.1 times more likely than white athletes to face vitamin D insufficiency and Hispanic athletes 6.1 times more likely.

“Although there is much more work to be done, our results open the possibility for improved performance and, most importantly, decreased risk of injury with correction of vitamin D levels,” said orthopedic surgeon and lead study author Diego Villacis, MD, Administrative Chief Resident Physician at the University of Southern California. “This may potentially be achieved simply and safely through modification of diet, sunlight exposure, and vitamin D supplementation.”

For more information relating to vitamin D deficiencies in athletes, check out the T&C article “The D Factor.”