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Cited by 60Vitamin D Research StudiesExercise and Physiological ResponsesSports Performance and Training

Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Haematological Values and Muscle Recovery in Elite Male Traditional Rowers

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Mielgo-Ayuso, Juan, Calleja-González, Julio, Urdampilleta, Aritz, León-Guereño, Patxi, Córdova, Alfredo, Caballero-García, Alberto, Fernandez-Lázaro, Diego·2018·Nutrients
DOI 10.3390/nu10121968PMC PMC6315465
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Abstract

Introduction: Deficient levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) (<30 ng/mL) may compromise health and athletic performance. Supplementation with oral vitamin D can favor the state of iron metabolism, and testosterone and cortisol as an indicator of muscle recovery of the athlete with a deficiency. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of eight weeks of supplementation with 3000 IU/day of vitamin D on the hematological and iron metabolism profile, as well as on the analytical values of testosterone and cortisol on elite male traditional rowers. The secondary aim was to examine if serum 25(OH)D is a predictor of testosterone and cortisol levels. Material and Methods: Thirty-six elite male rowers (27 ± 6 years) were assigned to one of the two groups randomly: 1) Control group (CG, n = 18, height: 181.05 ± 3.39 cm and body mass: 77.02 ± 7.55 kg), 2) Group treated with 3,000 IU of vitamin D3/day (VD3G, s = 18, height: 179.70 ± 9.07 cm and body mass: 76.19 ± 10.07 kg). The rowers were subjected to blood tests at the beginning of the study (T1) and after eight weeks of treatment (T2), for the analysis of hematological and hormonal values. Repeated-measures ANOVA with group factor (GC and GVD3) were used to examine if the interaction of the different values was the same or different between the groups throughout the study (time × group) after vitamin D3 treatment. To analyze if 25(OH)D was a good predictor of testosterone, cortisol, and testosterone/cortisol ratio a stepwise regression model was performed. Results: Statistically significant and different increases were observed in the group-by-time interaction of 25(OH)D in VD3G in respect to CG during the study (p < 0.001; VD3G (T1: 26.24 ± 8.18 ng/mL vs. T2: 48.12 ± 10.88 ng/mL) vs CG (T1: 30.76 ± 6.95 ng/mL vs. T2: 35.14 ± 7.96 ng/mL). Likewise, significant differences between groups were observed throughout the study in the group-by-time interaction and changes of hemoglobin (GC: −2.89 ± 2.29% vs. VD3G: 0.71 ± 1.91%; p = 0.009), hematocrit (CG: −1.57 ± 2.49% vs. VD3G: 1.16 ± 1.81%; p = 0.019) and transferrin (CG: 0.67 ± 4.88% vs. VD3G: 6.51 ± 4.36%; p = 0.007). However, no differences between groups were observed in the group-by-time interaction of the hormonal parameters (p > 0.05). Regression multivariate analysis showed that cortisol and testosterone levels were associated with 25(OH)D levels (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Oral supplementation with 3000 IU/day of vitamin D3 during eight weeks showed to be sufficient to prevent a decline in hematological levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit, and improve transferrin of 25(OH)D levels. However, although it was not sufficient to enhance muscle recovery observed by testosterone and cortisol responses, it was observed that serum 25(OH)D levels could be a predictor of anabolic and catabolic hormones.

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  • During the winter season, almost 60% of outdoor athletes and 64% of indoor athletes have a level of 25(OH)D <30 ng/mL.

    “It has been estimated that during the winter season, almost 60% of outdoor athletes and 64% of indoor athletes have a level of 25(OH)D <30 ng/mL, which indicates insufficiency of vitamin D [11,12,13,14,15].”

    From Influence of Sunlight and Oral D3 Supplementation on Serum 25(OH)D Concentration and Exercise Performance in Elite Soccer Players (2020) · cites this paper as [13]

    The Introduction (page unavailable) describes non-optimal 25(OH)D levels as prevalent among athletes and identifies >30 ng/mL as the threshold for sufficiency. It does not give the claimed winter estimates of almost 60% for outdoor athletes and 64% for indoor athletes. The study itself was conducted from April to June, as noted in the Discussion (page unavailable). (LLM, conf=0.84)

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  • Existing trials have yielded mixed findings: some reported increases in total testosterone, calculated free testosterone, bioactive testosterone, or free androgen index after supplementation, whereas others showed no meaningful change in total testosterone, SHBG, or free testosterone-related outcomes.

    “Existing trials have yielded mixed findings: some reported increases in TT, calculated FT, BAT, or FAI after supplementation, whereas others showed no meaningful change in TT, SHBG, or FT-related outcomes [17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33].”

    From Vitamin D Supplementation, Total Testosterone, and Androgen Bioavailability Markers in Adult Men: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials (2026) · cites this paper as [23]

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Authors
Mielgo-Ayuso, J., Calleja-González, J., Urdampilleta, A., León-Guereño, P., Córdova, A., Caballero-García, A., & Fernandez-Lázaro, D.
Affiliations
  • Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Physiology, Faculty of Physical Therapy, University of Valladolid, 42004 Soria, Spain
  • University of the Basque Country (ES)
  • Elikaesport, Nutrition, Innovation &amp; Sport, 08290 Barcelona, Spain
  • Universidad de Deusto (ES)
  • Universidad de Valladolid (ES)
  • Department of Cell Biology, Histology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Physical Therapy, University of Valladolid, 42004 Soria, Spain, <email>diego.fernandez.lazaro@uva.es</email>
ORCID
Venue
Nutrients
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2018-12-12
Volume
10
Issue
12
Pages
1968
ISSN
2072-6643 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/nu10121968
PMC
PMC6315465
OpenAlex
W2904451762
Cited by
60
References
5
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 4
FWCI
4.08
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Nutrients (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Hispana (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • DeustoTeka (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • UVaDOC UVaDOC University of Valladolid Documentary Repository (University of Valladolid) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Vitamin D Research Studies
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Exercise and Physiological Responses
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Sports Performance and Training
Keywords
vitamin D supplementation, vitamin D3, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, rowers, iron metabolism, transferrin, hemoglobin, hematocrit, testosterone, cortisol, testosterone/cortisol ratio, muscle recovery, athletes, vitamin D deficiency
MeSH terms
Water Sports, Adult, Hematocrit, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Physical Endurance, Testosterone, Vitamin D, Muscle, Skeletal, Dietary Supplements, Muscle Strength, Young Adult, Athletes

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