Seasonal variations in vitamin D status in indoor and outdoor female athletes
Open accessAbstract
Vitamin D (VD) insufficiency is a concern, particularly among young females. The VD status shows seasonal variations, since it correlates with duration of sunlight exposure. VD insufficiency in indoor athletes is therefore suggested in winter. The aim of the present study was to determine seasonal variations in VD and bone status among indoor and outdoor female athletes. The prospective study was conducted in participants aged 20-22 years old. The participants comprised of 15 indoor and 15 outdoor athletes. The biochemical markers and bone parameters were measured in March, June, September and December. The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-VD) concentration showed a seasonal oscillation, with a nadir in March (indoor, 19±4.0 ng/ml; outdoor, 32±2.7 ng/ml) and a peak in September (indoor, 32±6.6 ng/ml; outdoor, 39±5.7 ng/ml). The amplitude of oscillation was greater in the indoor compared to the outdoor athletes. Seasonal variations in serum calcium exhibited a similar pattern, while the parathyroid hormone showed an inverse pattern to serum 25-OH-VD. The nadir in bone mass, measured as speed of sound, occurred in June after peaking in December among the indoor and outdoor athletes. The pattern followed 3 months after the changes in 25-OH-VD. Indoor sports athletes are more susceptible to VD insufficiency compared to outdoor sports athletes. Insufficiency is most likely to arise in winter, and could affect bone mineralization observed 3 months after.
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Seasonal fluctuations in vitamin D status have been observed in athletes, as well as differences between indoor and outdoor sport athletes.
“This can be particularly relevant to athletes where seasonal fluctuations in vitamin D status have been observed [285] as well as differences between indoor and outdoor sport athletes [286].”
From Nutritional Considerations for the Vegan Athlete (2023) · cites this paper as [286]
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- Authors
- MARUYAMA-NAGAO, A., SAKURABA, K., & SUZUKI, Y.
- Affiliations
- Juntendo University (JP)
- ORCID
- SUZUKI, YOSHIO
- Venue
- Biomedical Reports
- Publisher
- Spandidos Publications
- Published
- 2016-05-06
- Volume
- 5
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 113-117
- ISSN
- 2049-9434 (ISSN-L)
- 2049-9442
- PMC
- PMC4906578
- OpenAlex
- W2346197593
- Cited by
- 44
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 1.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Biomedical Reports (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (15K01531, 24700626)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pathology and Forensic Medicine › Vitamin D Research Studies
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Orthopedics and Sports Medicine › Bone health and osteoporosis research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Nephrology › Parathyroid Disorders and Treatments
- Keywords
- vitamin D status, seasonal variation, vitamin D insufficiency, female athletes, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, serum calcium, parathyroid hormone, bone mineralization, bone speed of sound, sun exposure
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