Vitamin D Training Benefits?

Has any one experimented with this?

Got this from http://www.knowledgeofhealth.com/blog/kohblog.html

Vitamin D and Muscle Strength

Ed, a Chattanooga fitness devotee, did 285 chin-ups trying to break a record in 2005. He quit chin ups because, as he said, they were so difficult.

Later, learning his vitamin D levels were low (12 nanograms/milliliter) he worked to raise his vitamin D levels to 40 ng/ml by January of 2007. Ed started doing chin ups again, only this time he quickly found it was much easier than before. Ed says this week (March 2007) he completed 300 chin ups "and it was almost easy!"

Ed was explaining his personal discovery about vitamin D to Dr. John Cannell, captain of the Vitamin D Council website. Dr. Cannell had just released his "Peak Athletic Performance and Vitamin D" online report. And one wonders if the next performance enhancing "drug" will be vitamin D at the 2008 Olympics.

Dr. Cannell researched medical literature going back a number of decades. He writes that the Germans and Russians who won many Olympic medals in the 1960s and 1970s were convinced vitamin D improves athletic performance. If not deficient, you may not notice any improvement, but most people have sub-optimal levels of vitamin D.

Dr. Cannell cites a 1938 study where vitamin D-producing ultraviolet lamps were used to improve 100-meter dash times from 13.63 to 12.62 seconds. A 1945 study showed that UV radiation for up to 2 minutes, three times a week, improved cardiovascular fitness scores by 19% compared to 2% in non-irradiated students in a physical education class.

Want to read more? Go to www.vitamindcouncil.com and search under newsletters.

 

It makes sense that having low levels of any nutrient will cause a decrease in sport perfomance in addition to increased risk for disease and illness. I've read elsewhere that we Americans generally don't get enough Vitamin D, in part from using too much sunscreen. Noting how much time we cyclists spend in the sun though, I wonder if we are as likely to be deficient in Vitamin D. The only way to find out I suppose is to have your levels tested.

 

Did he spend no time in the sun?

 

Spending too much time indoors doing chin-ups...must cause problems.

 

I've actually read lots on vitamin d... a majority of North Americans, Northern Europeans are deficient in vitamin d (especially bad for people of colour who's skins shields UV light and decreases vit d production).. combination of liberal use of sunscreen and the fact that in much of the US and Canada (northern latitudes) even time in the sun does not allow for production of vitamin d in the skin for a good portion of the year and the fact that people don't work outdoors in the sun mid day means that they are likely not getting enough proper sun light to produce vitamin d

- the part of sunlight that actually turns the cholesterol in your skin into vitamin D (UVB) is not in the sun all the time... it's there from about 11am-2pm and if you live in the northern US or in a part of the world that's as far north, UVB is not present at all from about October 'til about March... so even if you were able to get out into the sun your skin wouldn't produce any vitamin D anyway.. angle of the sun shields UVB light

- so if you don't get out in the sun around mid day or it's in the fall - winter -early spring and you live in the northern part of the world you need to get your vitamin D by eating foods with it or by taking vitamin D supplements..and the recommend daily dosages seem much to low to see benefits other than the calcium adsorption benefit... 2000IU might be closer to the dosage to gain the other benefits of taking vitamin d

- vitamin d deficiency is associated with muscle weakness and immune problems, increase in certain types of cancers

- even if you live in a place like Florida of somewhere in the south it is recommended that you spend at least 15min in the mid day sun without sunscreen (face, arms, legs) then slap it on.. if you live in norther latitudes you need to supplement in the winter...

 

I'm having a mad case of deja vu. I seriously remember reading those exact posts 3 weeks ago or something. That's weird. Guess I'm taking too much of some vitamin.

 

good thing we cyclists spend so much time outdoors riding our bikes..

so what I want to know is whether I should be slathering on the sun block prior to a ride.

 

Vitamin D has a direct correlation to bone and muscle growth, any deficiency would lead to stunted bone growth therefore affecting tissue and muscle growth. The best way to get it, is by getting some morning sun and by taking Vitamin D supplements.

 

I think being active in sunlight is enough to get this vitamin D. but not during the middle of the day, I think that's what he needs. just be active and do the activities outside.

 

I agree on that all it takes is the morning sun to get some vitamin D in your system. But a few years ago, I've been hearing a lot about vitamin D supplements and it's 8x the price of a 500 mg ascorbic acid, so I think it's very expensive considering all you need is to get some sun.

 

My previous bpo company provide us the vitamin D supplements specially if we working during the day shifts but this is not free 300 php every cut offs but it's optional if we want to take it. 300 php is big amount for me or 600 a month.

 

Yeah, avoid going in the middle of the day because you may still get vit. D but at the cost of being sunburned and taking the sun's UV radiation. You don't even need to stay under the sunlight for too long, anyway, just around 10 minutes during early morning is enough.

 

Skin cancer is the worst think you would get from sunlight during the middle of the day. But actually I remembered when I was in grade school, it's alright to keep playing under the sunlight even it's already 11 am. but right now, the weather forecaster keep reminding the people to stay away from the sunlight starting at 10 am to 4 pm. There's a big difference about the temperature right now compare before.

 

As far as I’m aware, you’re not really at the risk of getting skin cancer unless you’re getting regularly sunburnt. I’ve been vitamin D deficient for most of my life because I spent 98% of my time indoors as a kid. In order to get my vitamin D naturally, I’ve been sunbathing during the spring/summer months, particularly during the midday sun. There is a difference between getting 20 minutes of midday sun and then going inside, as opposed to sitting directly in its rays for hours on end the way you would at the beach.

My point is, unless you’re getting regularly sunburnt, you’re more than likely not going to get any side effects besides adequate vitamin D levels.

 

I think Vitamin D supplements are just a con since you can get your daily dose for free, from the morning sun. The best is from about 7am - 10am.