foodconsumer.org: Vitamin D: A “Legal” Performance Enhancing Substance?

Vitamin D: A “Legal” Performance Enhancing Substance?
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admin on 05/27/2009 11:59:00
 
Wednesday May 27, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- Mention the word “steroid” and
visions of Barry Bonds and others who have “memory problems” when it comes
to whether or not they used them come to mind. But there is a “natural”
steroid that enhances physical performance, and it does so quite legally.
Vitamin D, or the “sunshine” vitamin as some call it, seems to serve as a
type of natural “steroid” in that it improves musculoskeletal performance.
In its May 2009 issue, the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise
cites a statement by the American College of Sports Medicine, which maintains
that activated vitamin D acts as a hormone, regulating over 1000 genes in the
body, including those located in the muscles and nerves.
Beginning in the 1950s, when a German study was published stating that vitamin D
friendly ultraviolet light improved athletic performance, until now, the ACSM
has gathered literature, which has remained consistent regarding athletic
prowess and vitamin D levels. Peak performance occurs when vitamin D is
naturally obtained through full body summer exposure, thus implying that such
increases in strength and stamina is seasonal in nature.
A significant number of studies related to vitamin D in older individuals have
proven that physical ability is directly tied to levels of the vitamin found in
the bloodstream. Additionally, the vitamin increases the fibers of “fast
twitch” muscles, another performance enhancing attribute.
(By Rachel Stockton, and edited by Heather Kelley)