Study Suggests Vitamin D Supps Could Help To Keep Body Fat at Bay
In 2020, a group of researchers set out to discover the impact, if any, that supplementing diets with vitamin D has on body fat percentage in male athletes. Already an interesting study in its own right, it became more intriguing when world events changed the nature of the research.
Eagle-eyed readers who noted the year of the study may already know where this is going…
The Study
Forty-two athletic college-aged males were divided into two groups, with one group receiving 25 μg per day of vitamin D3 in tablet form and the other receiving no supplementation. Blood tests and body composition monitoring took place in both groups.
This is where things start to get interesting. During the study period, the COVID-19 outbreak forced the athletes to halt their training for two months. The participants continued with their vitamin D3 consumption, which meant the researchers were now effectively studying the effects of vitamin D supplementation not only on body composition but also on body fat levels during forced periods of inactivity.
The Results
Three months after the initial tests, the athletes were retested, this gap included a two-month lay-off from hard training.
Unsurprisingly, researchers found that the supplementing group had increased levels of vitamin D in their blood versus the non-supplementing group. But the interesting part came when the participants' body fat levels were retested: the scientists found that the non-supplement group had seen increased levels of body fat by an average of 1.9%, whereas the group supplementing with vitamin D had only seen a marginal increase in body fat of just 0.2%.
This significant difference in outcomes led the researchers to conclude, ‘Vitamin D supplementation may play a role in maintaining athletes' body fat percentage under circumstances where sports activity has decreased.’
Despite the study having a relatively small sample size, there is further research to reinforce these findings.
What Does This Mean For Us?
This research is the latest in a growing body of evidence that suggests a direct link between optimal levels of vitamin D in the blood and positive body composition, health and performance outcomes.
Essentially this evidence tells us that we should aim to ensure that we have ample levels of vitamin D, whether via adequate exposure to sunlight; foods such as oily fish, eggs, and other fortified foods; or through supplementation. This study highlights the importance of achieving these levels, especially when physical activity is limited, for instance, due to injury or when you simply don’t have the time to hit the gym.
It can be easy to switch off from our health-promoting habits during lay-offs from training, falling into an all-or-nothing mindset, but this study demonstrates that during trying times, adherence to the positive habits we can keep on track with is more important than ever.
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