Vitamin D is essential for bone health.  This is something many of us already know or have been told for many years, but this has an even larger impact to athletes who rely on their bone strength for their hobby or profession.   Numerous studies have  found  interesting correlations between Vitamin D level and fracture rates, muscle injuries, and even the likelihood that a person will make an NBA or NFL team.

Vitamin D is important for bone growth, density and remodeling, and is responsible for enhancing intestinal calcium absorption.  (Ogan and Prichett, 2013).  For patients with vitamin D deficiency, it is difficult for the body to obtain calcium from the diet. Adequate Vitamin D levels increase calcium absorption by two to four times (Endocrinediseases.org).  A deficiency in Vitamin D sets off a chain reaction that can lead to some dramatic symptoms if it is not corrected.  When Vitamin D levels are depleted, the parathyroid hormone is called upon to increase our calcium  levels by stealing it from our bones.  Some of the symptoms of hyperparathyroidism include joint pain, muscle weakness, fatigue, depression, trouble concentrating, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, confusion, or an increased thirst and need to urinate (clevelandclinic.org).

As an athlete, you could train all day and be in the best shape of your life, but if your bones are weak, you are increasing your risk for fractures or injuries. As a former professional basketball player and collegiate athlete, this is something I wish I had known as I suffered through my senior year and rookie season in the WNBA with multiple stress fractures.  I have no way of knowing what my Vitamin D levels were but living in Storrs, Ct with minimal exposure to regular sunlight, no supplementation of Vitamin D, and knowing that the majority of Americans are Vitamin D deficient, it is likely that I was not receiving adequate amounts.

A Finnish study on military recruits found that individuals with a Vitamin D level of <30 had a significantly higher risk for stress fractures.  They also found that females given 800 IU of Vitamin D for 8 weeks had a 20% lower incidence in stress fractures than the placebo group.  A study on NFL players found that vitamin D levels were significantly lower in players with at least 1 bone fracture when compared with no bone fractures.  They also found that players who were released during the preseason because of either injury or poor performance had significantly lower vitamin D levels than did players who played in the regular season. Similarly, a 2018 study on NBA players a significant relationship was found between increasing vitamin D levels and NBA draft occurrence. This highlights the potential role of vitamin D in influencing neuromuscular function and athletic performance (Greishober et al, 2018).

Athletics demand an incredible amount of energy from the body and supplying yourself with the adequate amounts of necessary vitamins and minerals will help you reach your full potential.  Whether its a professional contract or a personal fitness goal, understanding your personal physiological needs can help you achieve the results you are looking for!  Send me a message if you are interested in understanding more about your Vitamin D levels or supplementation.

You can read the full studies here:

Finnish Military study, NFL study, NBA study

Maroon JC et al. “Vitamin D profile in National Football League Players.” Am J Sports Med. 2015 May; 43(5)(2015): 1241-5.  PubMed. Accessed February 28, 2019 from:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25649084

shttp://endocrinediseases.org/parathyroid/parathyroid_calcium.shtml

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14454-hyperparathyroidism

Are you feeling exhausted, run-down, or sick often?  Do you have bone pain, muscle pain, or feel chronically achy?  These are just a few symptoms that you might be experiencing Vitamin D deficiency.  Estimates indicate that about 77% of the population is deficient in Vitamin D (Ogan and Prichitt, 2013).   Vitamin D can be obtained through  direct sunlight, in the foods you eat, and with supplementation.  For most Americans, receiving the appropriate amount naturally is not possible due to the depleted soils used to grow our foods, and the lack of time we are able to spend in the direct sunlight. Understanding the importance of “the sunshine vitamin” and how you personally can reach an optimal level, may have a huge impact on your ability to live your healthiest life.

Vitamin D is essential for many functions in our body.  Most people have heard that Vitamin D is essential for calcium and bone health, but new studies show that it plays a vital role in “signaling gene response, protein synthesis, hormone synthesis, immune response, plus, cell turnover and regeneration” (Ogan and Prichett, 2013).  With 77% of us not receiving adequate amounts, it is easy to understand why we have so many individuals living in chronic pain, unable to obtain adequate sleep, concerned about hormonal imbalances, and constantly feeling run-down.  There are plenty of other reasons for many of the above concerns and some of them may be much more serious, but Vitamin D is a great place to begin your search for improved or optimal health.

If you have your Vitamin D tested during your routine exams (and many primary care providers do not test for this), an adequate result is in the range of 30-100.   What your lab results should say is that this range is the average range within the population, not the optimal range.  Most studies are now showing that the optimal range is greater than 40 and functional medicine practitioners have found that a range of 60-80 is ideal.  The Institute of Medicine and the Endocrine Society recently increased their ranges to include a much higher optimal vitamin D level.  IOM now states that individuals are vitamin D deficient below 30, insufficient between 30-50, and sufficient  at greater than 50.  The endocrine society also states that the cutoff for Vitamin D deficiency is 50 and optimal is considered at levels greater than 75.

Many people believe they are getting enough if they drink milk, add milk to their coffee or eat it in fortified foods.  Unfortunately, Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, which means that it needs to be taken or eaten with fat to be absorbed properly. If you drink skim milk, due to the lack of fat in the milk, the added vitamin D is essentially useless.  Vitamin D is optimally absorbed if it is ingested (or contained within) with high-quality fats like olive oil.  The best sources of Vitamin D are, salmon, herring and sardines, other fatty fish, egg yolks, organ meat, and mushrooms.  However, most Americans do not eat enough of these sources or get enough sunlight and need to supplement for optimal health.  You can read about the suggested levels or supplementation here.

If you need a high-quality Vitamin D, you can order one through my provider website and can contact me for additional information.

Follow me over the next 5 weeks to discuss in more detail the importance of Vitamin D and the impact to athletes, the importance in the role of breast cancer prevention and treatment, bone health, depression and mood disorders, and sleep.

Ogan, D. and Pritchett, K. “Vitamin D and the Athlete: Risks, Recommendations, and Benefits.” Nutrients Jun; 5(6) (2013): 1856-1868. US National Library of Medicine. Accessed February 19, 2019 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5802611/doi: 10.3390/nu5061856

Swedish Dish Cloths

These dish cloths are amazing.  I use them more for cleaning all of the counters in my house.  I have always felt a bit guilty about the amount of paper towels I used while cleaning the house (especially when it was listed for sale).  These are so durable and last 3-6 months at least!  Want to cut down on waste and paper products?  Try them!  The best part is that they just go in the top level of your dishwasher to clean for the next use.  Amazing 🙂

Thanks for joining me.  This blog is a way for me to write about my journey through all things clean, organized, and healthy.  I wish I could tell you that I have been a clean, organized, “type A” person for my entire life, but my nickname growing up (and even as a baby) was “Messy Annie”.  I have always been messy, had too many things, and  enjoyed a more laid back/spontaneous (type B if you must label me) way of life.

Then life happened.  My husband and I had 2 kids, we put our house on the market, I went back to graduate school, my husband started a business, and I felt completely overwhelmed.  I became obsessed with understanding how these “Type A” people get so much done.  Oh, they make lists – for everything; Daily To-Do list, Friends to call list, Cleaning lists, Grocery lists, New products lists, Books to Read lists, New Restaurants lists, Workout lists, etc…..Wow, how annoying.  Except, wow how productive these people are.  (I know, I am married to the ultimate list-maker).  And now that time isn’t as free as it always has been, I now know that this is really how you get stuff done.  I will always enjoy a more laid back lifestyle, with more spontaneity than planned activities, but when it comes to certain things in life, I am no longer “Messy Annie”.

As a former professional athlete, and now mom and nurse practitioner, I have learned a great deal about environmental toxins, healthy food, living life with less, the importance of time for yourself, and how to juggle the responsibilities that come with an incredible family.  This is a work in progress and a way for me to hold myself accountable.  I invite you to follow me through this journey and to add your thoughts and insights as well. Thank you!