INDIANAPOLIS—Vitamin D may give American Olympians an advantage in 2012, according to a paper published in by The American College of Sports Medicine. The paper, “Athletic Performance and Vitamin D,” says vitamin D, which improves reaction time, muscle strength, speed and endurance, may give Americans the same edge that Russian and German athletes received in the 1950s and 1980s. Those Olympians were irradiated with Vitamin-D producing UVB radiation. Most athletes are deficient in vitamin D and upping the intake would not be considered doping, but rather maintaining a healthy vitality.
The paper discusses how German Olympian athletes in the 1930s and 1950s used sunlamps, which increased performance and reduces injuries, but not without controversy. And they mention the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, which is close to the equator and high in altitude giving the city more UVB penetration. Many athletes trained in Mexico to accommodate themselves to the climate and that year, many world records were set and Americans won more medals, especially in outdoor sports.
Vitamin D deficiency is associated with stress fractures, other athletic injuries, numerous serious illnesses and an early death.
Lead author, John Cannell, MD. Dr. Cannell will be speaking at the American College of Sports Medicine in Seattle May 27, 2009. Co-authors of this article include Professor Timothy Taft, the team physician for the NCAA basketball champions, the UNC Tar Heels, and Professor John Anderson of the UNC School of Nutrition.