Study: Vitamin D Improves Exercise Performance, Reduces CVD Risk
Vitamin D supplementation could improve exercise performance and lower the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a recent preliminary study.
Previous research has indicated that vitamin D may inhibit the production of cortisol, which in high levels can raise blood pressure. By preventing the restriction of arteries and narrowing of blood vessels caused by high levels of cortisol, researchers speculated that vitamin D could in fact improve exercise performance and reduce CVD risk.
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For their study, researchers randomized 13 individuals to either 50 mg of vitamin D each day or to placebo during a 2-week period. Overall, they found that those who received vitamin D supplementation had lower blood pressure and cortisol levels compared with those taking placebo.
When researchers compared results of fitness tests conducted before and after the study period, they found that those taking vitamin D were able to cycle 6.5km in 20 minutes compared to only 5km at the beginning of the study, and showed lower signs of physical exertion despite cycling 30% further.
"Our pilot study suggests that taking vitamin D supplements can improve fitness levels and lower cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure", they concluded.
"Our next step is to perform a larger clinical trial for a longer period of time in both healthy individuals and large groups of athletes such as cyclists or long-distance runners."
—Michael Potts
Reference:
Society for Endocrinology. Vitamin D pill a day may improve exercise performance and lower risk of heart disease [press release]. November 1, 2015. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/sfe-vdp102915.php.