Vitamin D, Skeletal Muscle Function and Athletic Performance in Athletes—A Narrative Review
Department of the Biological and Motor Basis of Sport, University School of Physical Education, Wrocław 51612, Poland
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Nutrients 2019, 11(8), 1800; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081800
Received: 24 June 2019 / Revised: 31 July 2019 / Accepted: 2 August 2019 / Published: 4 August 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vitamin D and Sport Performance)
The active form of vitamin D (calcitriol) exerts its biological effects by binding to nuclear vitamin D receptors (VDRs), which are found in most human extraskeletal cells, including skeletal muscles. Vitamin D deficiency may cause deficits in strength, and lead to fatty degeneration of type II muscle fibers, which has been found to negatively correlate with physical performance. Vitamin D supplementation has been shown to improve vitamin D status and can positively affect skeletal muscles. The purpose of this study is to summarize the current evidence of the relationship between vitamin D, skeletal muscle function and physical performance in athletes. Additionally, we will discuss the effect of vitamin D supplementation on athletic performance in players. Further studies are necessary to fully characterize the underlying mechanisms of calcitriol action in the human skeletal muscle tissue, and to understand how these actions impact the athletic performance in athletes.
Keywords:
25(OH)D; calcidiol; calcitriol; muscle performance; muscle strength; physical activity; athlete