Vitamin D Deficiency
Conditions
Brief summary
The goal of this study is to determine whether Vitamin D supplementation improves strength and bone density, and reduces the risk of injury in collegiate athletes.
Detailed description
Vitamin D is a hormone that is important for bone and muscle health. As such, not having enough vitamin D in your body is associated with increased risk of injury and reduced health and athletic performance. It is often recommended that individuals who have low levels of vitamin D take vitamin D supplements. However, the effects of vitamin D supplementation on health and strength gains in collegiate athletes are not known. The goal of this study is to determine whether vitamin D supplementation increases strength and bone density, while reducing the risk of injury in collegiate athletes. Fasting vitamin D concentrations will be measured and athletes will be supplemented daily with Vitamin D for 8-12 weeks. The amount of supplementation will depend on whether the athlete is categorized as sufficient (\>30ng/ml), insufficient (20-35ng/ml), or deficient (\<20ng/ml). Vitamin D concentrations, strength, bone density, and injury risk will be assessed before and after the intervention period.
Interventions
DRUGVitamin D 5000 UNT
5000 IU Vitamin D per day
DRUGVitamin D 10000 UNT
10000 IU Vitamin D per day
Sponsors
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Study design
Allocation
NON_RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
PREVENTION
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Masking description
Any individuals involved in study measures will also be masked.
Intervention model description
Subjects will either receive placebo, 5000IU, or 10000IU per day of Vitamin D for 8-12 weeks.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 30 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* athlete for a sanctioned Virginia Tech sport
Exclusion criteria
* pregnant or trying to become pregnant, currently taking vitamin D (\>600IU/day), calcium (\>1000mg/dl), taking any performance enhancing supplements (example, creatine), or any other medication or nutritional supplements that might influence the study variables, cardiac or thyroid problems, have diabetes, or epilepsy
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Strength | Up to 12 weeks | Overall strength assessed via maximal strength testing. The specific tests may include the following, 1) one repetition max bench press (lbs) -, 2) one repetition max squat (lbs), 3) vertical jump test (feet), 4) broad jump test (feet), 5) dead lifts (lbs and repetition), 6) pull ups (repetition), 7) dips (repetition), and 8) shuttle time (test involving repeated sprints to and from marked points or lines - minutes/ seconds). |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Femur Bone Density | Up to 12 weeks | Bone Density will be assessed in spine using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. T-scores will be determined. |
| Spine Bone Density | Up to 12 weeks | Bone Density will be assessed in the hip (proximal femur) using Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry. T-scores will be determined. |
| Injury Occurence | Every week for up to 12 weeks | New and current Injuries including bone breaks, muscle strains and sprains will be tracked via a questionnaire that will be filled out weekly. Subjects will report whether they had an injury, where the injury occurred on the body, the type of injury, as well as the date/ time of the injury and how the injury occurred. Number of injury |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed