Athletic performance, body recovery and vitamin D3

All my life until I was injured in a bicycle accident I was heavy into athletics. Where I went to medical school The McGowen Medical School in Houston they had a great exercise physiology department and I always really enjoyed listening to one of the lectures from any of their faculty but especially Dr. Booth. Then later working in the intensive care or cardiac intensive cares allowed me a significant insight into how the body responds to physical challenges whether it be a severe automobile accident or major cardiac surgery. Regardless I have been fascinated by how the body responds to stress.

With optimal dosing of vitamin D3 I found a legal way to significantly boost athletic performance which I have been told why the Russians in the later part of the last century they did so well in athletic competitions. Then having later seen all the havoc that athletes using performance enhancing drugs to get the most out of their body has caused. I get it the whole challenge was to get the most athletic performance out of our bodies for the longest period, at the highest intensity and to do that repeatedly. I get it whether it is survival or trying to secure a multimillion-dollar contract for a sports team there is a great deal on the line. How do we maximize what we have? With exercising by building up your muscles as quickly as possible with no injuries.

Recent studies show that most athletes are vitamin D3 deficient which is the easiest way to significantly improve your athletic performance legally.1,2,3 Other studies show what a significant effect, even what I consider extremely low doses of vitamin D, have on muscle strength.4 Not saying that the increase is linear or more with higher levels, but it would make sense that like so many other systems in the body optimal dosing of vitamin D3 is where the best results occur but again reason we need studies with these doses.

For one look at all the athletes who fracture bones or tear tendon. As it makes sense stronger your bones the less likely fractures and the slower the onset of osteoarthritis. So, if you’re a professional athlete or a weekend warrior and your vitamin D3 levels are suboptimal your bones are not at maximum strength, so they wear out faster, more likely to fracture and you’re more likely to become injured. Besides with optimal doses you sleep better where a lot of your healing/recovery occurs.

Exercising is tearing down muscle to rebuild them stronger. Well if you’re not sleeping well you don’t heal as quickly. Your competition who does will out compete you. Besides optimal dosing increases your muscle strength. When I owned the Laredo Rattlesnakes arena football team I had all the players on optimal dosing and my players really felt the improvement even though it was only for a few months. Of course, others will read this and start matching you but perhaps you respond more then they do and at the minimum you can’t afford to be left behind.

1. Villacis D, Yi A, Jahn R, Kephart CJ, Charlton T, et al, The prevalence of abnormal vitamin D levels among Division 1 NCAA athletes. Sports Health. 2014 Jul; 6(4):340-7.
2. Sikora-Klak, J., Narvy, S. J., Yang, J., Makhni, E., Kharrazi, F. D., & Mehran, N. (2018). The Effect of Abnormal Vitamin D Levels in Athletes. The Permanente Journal, 22, 17–216. http://doi.org/10.7812/TPP/17-216.
3. Shuler FD1, Wingate MK, Moore GH, Giangarra C. Sports health benefits of vitamin d. Sports Health. 2012 Nov;4(6):496-501. doi: 10.1177/1941738112461621.
4. Rejnmark L., Effects of vitamin d on muscle function and performance: a review of evidence from randomized controlled trials. Ther Adv Chronic Dis. 2011 Jan;2(1):25-37.

*The information posted above is for educational purposes only. Always check with your doctor before initiating any changes in your medical treatment. If you do not, then The Two-Minute Health Fact, Dr. Judson Somerville, nor The Optimal Dose is responsible!