Abstract
Vitamin D deficiency has been commonly reported in elite athletes, but the vitamin D status of UK university athletes in different training environments remains unknown. The present study aimed to determine any seasonal changes in vitamin D status among indoor and outdoor athletes, and whether there was any relationship between vitamin D status and indices of physical performance and bone health. A group of forty-seven university athletes (indoor n 22, outdoor n 25) were tested during autumn and spring for serum vitamin D status, bone health and physical performance parameters. Blood samples were analysed for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (s-25(OH)D) status. Peak isometric knee extensor torque using an isokinetic dynamometer and jump height was assessed using an Optojump. Aerobic capacity was estimated using the Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test. Peripheral quantitative computed tomography scans measured radial bone mineral density. Statistical analyses were performed using appropriate parametric/non-parametric testing depending on the normality of the data. s-25(OH)D significantly fell between autumn (52·8 (sd 22·0) nmol/l) and spring (31·0 (sd 16·5) nmol/l; P < 0·001). In spring, 34% of participants were considered to be vitamin D deficient (<25 nmol/l) according to the revised 2016 UK guidelines. These data suggest that UK university athletes are at risk of vitamin D deficiency. Thus, further research is warranted to investigate the concomitant effects of low vitamin D status on health and performance outcomes in university athletes residing at northern latitudes.
Highlights
Vitamin D deficiency has been commonly reported in elite athletes, but the vitamin D status of UK university athletes in different training environments remains unknown
FFM, fat-free mass; Ca intake, Ca intake from self-reported 5-d food diary; 25(OH)D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D; PTH, parathyroid hormone; CMJ, counter movement jump; VO2max, aerobic fitness. * Mean value is significantly different from that for outdoor athletes in the same season (P < 0·05; independent t test/Mann–Whitney U test between indoor and outdoor athletes). † Mean value is significantly different from that for the same type of athlete in autumn (P < 0·05; paired t test/Wilcoxon rank test). ‡ Not normally distributed in autumn. § Not normally distributed in spring
Post hoc tests showed that subjects who had an ‘above sufficiency’ (>75 nmol/l) vitamin D status during the autumn term presented with superior knee extension strength when compared with vitamin D-insufficient (25–50 nmol/l) subjects (317·3 (SD 114·2) v. 227·8 (SD 61·4) Nm, respectively; P = 0·019)
Summary
Vitamin D deficiency has been commonly reported in elite athletes, but the vitamin D status of UK university athletes in different training environments remains unknown. A group of forty-seven university athletes (indoor n 22, outdoor n 25) were tested during autumn and spring for serum vitamin D status, bone health and physical performance parameters. One potential reason for this risk is that many highly active individuals and athletes spend large amounts of time indoors competing and training and receive limited year-round sunlight exposure[13,14] This is supported by evidence from studies conducted at different latitudes, including Australia[16], the USA[17,18], Europe[19,20] and the UK[21,22]. We hypothesised that university-level athletes would be vitamin D insufficient (
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