In 2020, a group of researchers set out to determine what effect, if any, supplementing the diet with vitamin D had on body fat percentage in male athletes. Already an interesting study in itself, the change in the nature of the study due to the current global situation made it even more intriguing.
Eagle-eyed readers who have taken note of the year the study was conducted may already know where this is going…
the study
Forty-two athletic college males were split into two groups: one group was given 25 micrograms of vitamin D3 per day in pill form, the other group was given no supplements, and both groups had their blood tested and their body composition monitored.
Here’s where it starts to get interesting: During the study, the athletes were forced to halt their training for two months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because participants continued to take Vitamin D3, the researchers were effectively studying the impact of Vitamin D supplementation during this period of forced inactivity on not only body composition but also body fat levels.
result
The players were retested three months after the first tests, during which they had taken a two-month break from hard training.
Not surprisingly, the researchers found that the group who took the supplements had elevated levels of vitamin D in their blood compared to the group who didn’t. But what got interesting was when they re-examined the participants’ body fat levels. The scientists found that while the group who didn’t take supplements had an average increase of 1.9% in body fat levels, the group who took vitamin D supplements only had an increase of 0.2%.
This significant difference in results led the researchers to conclude that “vitamin D supplementation may play a role in maintaining body fat percentage in athletes in situations of reduced sports activity.”
Although the sample size in this study is relatively small, further research supports these findings.
What does this mean for us?
This study is the latest in a growing body of evidence suggesting a direct link between optimal levels of vitamin D in the blood and positive body composition, health and performance outcomes.
Essentially, this evidence indicates that the goal should be to ensure adequate vitamin D levels, whether through adequate sun exposure, foods such as oily fish, eggs and other fortified foods, or supplements. The study highlights the importance of achieving these levels, especially if physical activity is limited due to injury or a lack of time to go to the gym.
During times off training, it’s easy to drop health-promoting habits and fall into an all-or-nothing mindset, but this research shows that in challenging times, it’s more important than ever to stick to positive habits you can stick to.
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