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How
to
Boost
Performance,
T
Levels,
and
Immunity
Low
levels
of
vitamin
D
not
only
ruin
your
general
health,
but
they
can
also
ruin
your
athletic
performance
and
more.
Let’s
fix
that.
What’s
the
most
painless
way
to
get
healthier?
Get
adequate
vitamin
D.
There’s
a
direct
association
between
vitamin
D
deficiencies/insufficiencies
and
mortality
rates
from
health
conditions
like
cancer,
cardiovascular
disease,
and
diabetes.
The
difference
between
the
two
terms
–
deficiencies
and
insufficiencies
–
is
just
a
matter
of
degree,
like
the
difference
between
bad
and
sorta’
bad.
For
instance,
without
optimal
vitamin
D
levels,
T
cells
can’t
battle
against
infectious
diseases,
including
cancer
or
pathogens
like
the
coronavirus
and
flu.
The
trouble
is,
it’s
very
hard
to
maintain
adequate
vitamin
D
levels
without
supplementation.
Symptoms
of
deficiencies
or
insufficiencies,
aside
from
an
anemic
immune
system,
include
musculoskeletal
pains
often
diagnosed
as
fibromyalgia
or
chronic
fatigue
syndrome,
osteoporosis,
brittle
bones,
weak
or
small
muscles,
low
sex
drive,
low
testosterone
levels,
hypertension,
endothelial
dysfunction,
sudden
cardiac
death
syndrome,
and
a
long
list
of
other
undesirable
stuff.
And
it’s
not
just
unfit
folks
affected.
In
studies,
about
half
of
all
professional
athletes
had
low
vitamin
D
levels.
What
Does
Vitamin
D
Do
for
You?
Vitamin
D
is
actually
a
pro-hormone
and
not
a
vitamin.
When
ingested,
it
must
be
converted
by
the
body
into
its
active
form,
the
hormone
1,25
dihydroxycholecalciferol.
Once
that
happens,
it
plays
a
vital
role
in
various
functions,
including
protein
synthesis,
muscle
and
cardiovascular
function,
cell
growth,
musculoskeletal
regulation,
and
inflammatory
response.
1.
Vitamin
D
and
Skeletal
Muscle
When
athletes
have
adequate
levels
of
vitamin
D,
they
exhibit
better
sports
performance.
They
build
strength
more
easily,
and
they
have
fewer
injuries.
The
vitamin
regulates
skeletal
muscle
by
activating
the
expression
of
genes
that
modulate
muscle
growth
and
differentiation,
particularly
Type
II
muscle
fibers.
When
there’s
an
insufficiency
of
vitamin
D,
Type
II
fibers
are
scrawny.
Put
them
on
supplementation
and
they
get
bigger.
Vitamin
D
also
strengthens
the
interaction
between
myosin
and
actin
(two
muscle
cell
proteins)
so
that
muscle
contractions
are
stronger.
More
generally,
having
optimal
levels
of
vitamin
D
increases
muscle
protein
synthesis,
jump
height,
the
production
of
ATP,
and
the
overall
capacity
to
perform
both
aerobic
and
anaerobic
exercise.
2.
Vitamin
D
and
Lung
Function
Low
levels
of
vitamin
D
correlate
strongly
with
reduced
lung
capacity.
Optimum
levels
of
vitamin
D,
however,
ensure
healthy
lung
structure,
capacity,
optimal
oxygen
exchange,
and
the
ability
to
finish
a
task
without
wheezing.
3.
Vitamin
D
and
the
Heart
There
appears
to
be
a
relationship
between
severe
vitamin
D
deficiency
and
sudden
cardiac
death
in
athletes.
Without
proper
levels,
arteries
get
stiff,
and
atherosclerosis
is
a
possibility.
4.
Vitamin
D
and
the
Nervous
System
Vitamin
D
has
direct
effects
on
serotonin
and
dopamine
levels,
which
are
vital
to
muscular
coordination
and
the
avoidance
of
fatigue.
5.
Vitamin
D
and
Sex
Having
high(er)
levels
of
vitamin
D
increases
circulating
levels
of
estradiol,
testosterone,
FSH,
LH,
and
DHEA
in
women
in
general,
which,
logically,
can
lead
to
them
being
more
orgasmic.
Similarly,
vitamin
D
supplementation,
in
at
least
one
study,
significantly
increases
testosterone
levels
in
men.
Why
Are
People
Deficient?
We
get
vitamin
D
from
certain
foods
and
sunlight.
But
very
few
foods
contain
it
besides
fortified
dairy
products,
eggs,
mushrooms,
and
the
livers
of
fatty
fish.
As
far
as
sunlight,
every
skin
cell
in
the
body
contains
the
machinery
to
convert
sunlight
to
a
vitamin
D
precursor,
which
then
undergoes
two
hydroxylations
before
it
becomes
metabolically
active.
Unfortunately,
but
understandably,
everyone
fears
skin
cancer
and
wrinkles,
so
most
people
try
to
avoid
sun
exposure.
Then
there’s
pollution,
which
further
limits
the
amount
of
UVB
radiation
reaching
the
earth’s
surface.
Also,
consider
the
angle
of
the
sun.
In
wintertime,
vitamin-D-producing
UVB
rays
don’t
reach
latitudes
above
35
to
37
degrees
(just
about
anywhere
north
of
San
Francisco,
New
Mexico,
Arkansas,
and
North
Carolina).
Lastly,
there’s
nature’s
cruel
sunlight/vitamin
D
paradox.
Any
melanin
you
develop
to
give
you
a
tan
hinders
UVB
absorption,
so
much
so
that
dark-skinned
athletes
need
to
expose
their
skin
to
UVB
light
up
to
10
times
longer
than
light-skinned
athletes
to
get
adequate
vitamin
D
production
going.
Okay,
What
Do
I
Need
to
Do?
The
least
risky
approach
is
to
supplement
and,
if
possible,
regularly
expose
your
largely
naked
body
to
sunlight.
But
there’s
no
definitive
way
to
tell
if
you’re
deficient
in
vitamin
D
without
getting
a
blood
test.
And
even
if
you
did
get
a
blood
test,
there’s
a
broad
range
of
medical
opinions
about
what’s
“normal.”
The
Institute
of
Medicine
believes
that
blood
levels
of
20
ng/mL
are
good
enough.
To
meet
that
level,
the
RDA
is
about
600
IU
of
vitamin
D.
The
Endocrine
Society,
however,
prefers
that
people
take
between
1500
and
2200
IU
a
day,
but
even
that’s
based
on
guesswork
and
is
still
a
little
too
conservative.
Most
biohackers
and
progressive
nutritionists
think
you
should
supplement
vitamin
D
daily.
Most
think
vitamin
D
levels
should
be
maintained
at
50
to
70
ng/ml.
Most
recommend
around
5,000
units
of
vitamin
D3
a
day.
While
it’s
technically
possible
to
get
too
much
vitamin
D,
it’s
hard
to.
It
would
take
months
of
intentional
“overdosing.”
Many
people
can’t
even
get
their
blood
levels
up
using
regular
vitamin
D
capsules.
How
to
Get
(and
Keep)
Your
Vitamin
D
Levels
Up
First,
forget
the
vitamin
D
capsules
you
buy
at
the
grocery
store.
Use
microencapsulated
vitamin
D3.
This
microencapsulated
form
is
the
most
bioavailable.
In
short,
that
delivery
system
solves
the
absorption
problem.
Biotest’s
D
Fix
supplement
contains
5000
IU
of
microencapsulated
vitamin
D3
in
each
tiny
softgel.
Second,
vitamin
D
can’t
be
metabolized
without
sufficient
magnesium.
Without
it,
vitamin
D
would
just
hang
around,
possibly
leading
to
higher
levels
of
calcium
and
phosphate,
which
could
lead
to
a
host
of
physiological
and
metabolic
consequences.
Not
coincidentally,
most
Americans,
particularly
athletes,
are
deficient
in
magnesium.
So,
take
400
mg.
of
magnesium
a
day.
Ideally,
use
fully
chelated
magnesium,
found
in
Elitepro
Vital
Minerals
(Buy
at
Amazon).
References
Uwitonze
AM
et
al.
“Role
of
Magnesium
in
Vitamin
D
Activation
and
Function.”
J
Am
Osteopath
Assoc.
2018
Mar
1;118(3):181-189.
PubMed
29480918.
Canat
M
et
al.
“Vitamin
D3
deficiency
is
associated
with
female
sexual
dysfunction
in
premenopausal
women.”
Int
Urol
Nephrol.
2016
Nov;48(11):1789-1795.
PubMed
27522658.
Mousa
A
et
al.
“Vitamin
D
supplementation
increases
adipokine
concentrations
in
overweight
or
obese
adults.”
Eur
J
Nutr.
2020
Feb;59(1):195-204.
PubMed
30649593.
Pilz
S
et
al.
“Effect
of
vitamin
D
supplementation
on
testosterone
levels
in
men.”
Horm
Metab
Res.
2011
Mar;43(3):223-5.
PubMed
21154195.
de
la
Puente
Yagüe
M
et
al.
“Role
of
Vitamin
D
in
Athletes
and
Their
Performance:
Current
Concepts
and
New
Trends.”
Nutrients.
2020
Feb
23;12(2):579.
PubMed
32102188.
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