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Vitamin D Status and Supplementation in Elite Irish Athletes.
- Source :
- International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism; Oct2013, Vol. 23 Issue 5, p441-448, 8p, 3 Charts, 1 Graph
- Publication Year :
- 2013
-
Abstract
- Background: A high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency, which may impact on health and training ability, is evident among athletes worldwide. This observational study investigated the vitamin D status of elite Irish athletes and determined the effect of wintertime supplementation on status. Methods: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D], calcium, and plasma parathyroid hormone were analyzed in elite athletes in November 2010 (17 boxers, 33 paralympians) or March 2011 (34 Gaelic Athletic Association [GAA] players). A subset of boxers and paralympians (n = 27) were supplemented during the winter months with either 5,000 IU vitamin D3/d for 10–12 weeks or 50,000 IU on one or two occasions. Biochemical analysis was repeated following supplementation. Results: Median 25(OH)D of all athletes at baseline was 48.4 nmol/L. Vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency (serum 25(OH)D <50 nmol/L) was particularly evident among GAA players (94%) due to month of sampling. Wintertime supplementation (all doses) significantly increased 25(OH)D (median 62.8 nmol/L at baseline vs. 71.1 nmol/L in April or May; p = .001) and corrected any insufficiencies/deficiencies in this subset of athletes. In contrast, 25(OH)D significantly decreased in those that did not receive a vitamin D supplement, with 74% of athletes classed as vitamin D insufficient/deficient after winter, compared with only 35% at baseline. Conclusions: This study has highlighted a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency/deficiency among elite Irish athletes and demonstrated that wintertime vitamin D<subscript>3</subscript> supplementation is an appropriate regimen to ensure vitamin D sufficiency in athletes during winter and early spring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- ANALYSIS of variance
CALCIUM
CHI-squared test
STATISTICAL correlation
DIETARY supplements
SCIENTIFIC observation
HEALTH outcome assessment
PARATHYROID hormone
PROBABILITY theory
QUESTIONNAIRES
RESEARCH funding
SEASONS
STATISTICS
T-test (Statistics)
VITAMIN D
DATA analysis
CHOLECALCIFEROL
ELITE athletes
DATA analysis software
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 1526484X
- Volume :
- 23
- Issue :
- 5
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- International Journal of Sport Nutrition & Exercise Metabolism
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 91743417
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.23.5.441