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Definition: "An ergogenic aid is any substance or phenomenon that enhances performance "

21.09.2018

Supplement with vitamin D protects martial artists against colds

For athletes who are preparing for a competition a cold can mean the difference between winning and losing. Researchers from South Korea discovered that supplementation with vitamin D3 protects martial artists against infection by the common cold virus during the winter months.

Study
During the winter, the researchers gave 13 male martial artists aged 19-22 a capsule with 5000 IU of vitamin D3 every day for 4 weeks. They used a product from Pharmacal Biotech, an American company. [biotechpharmacal.com] A group of 12 other fighters got a placebo.

Just before the experiment took place, the vitamin D status of the test subjects was 31.3 nanomol 25-hydroxyvitamin-D per liter. That is low, but in countries where people do not get out much, such low values are present ​​in almost half of the population.

Every day, the subjects documented how much they suffered from classic cold symptoms. The Koreans used a questionnaire, which is part of the Wisconsin Upper Respiratory Symptom Survey-11. The best score possible is 0; the worst score possible is 49.

Results
In both groups, the mean scores for cold symptoms were low, but they were significantly lower in the group using vitamin D.

The supplementation increased the vitamin D level in the blood of the athletes. There was a link between this rise and the symptoms of colds.

Conclusion
"The present randomized controlled trial revealed that a daily dose of 5000 IU of vitamin D3 increases serum 25(OH)D concentration to a sufficient level, and the increased serum 25(OH)D level reduces upper respiratory tract infection symptoms following four weeks of winter training in vitamin D-insufficient male taekwondo athletes", write the Koreans.

"Vitamin D3 supplementation may be effective in reducing the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections during winter training in vitamin D-insufficient taekwondo athletes."

Do you want to experiment with hefty doses of vitamin D? Maybe you should read this and this first.

Source:
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Sep 14;15(9).

More:
Stronger immune system, fewer colds with active lifestyle (09.10.2017)
Oyster mushrooms keep athletes disease free (12-12-2013)
Athletes who take Polypodium leucotomos are less often ill (18.03.2013)

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