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Vitamin D: What runners should know about Vitamin D

Vitamin D, the most common vitamin deficiency, helps everyday runners strengthen bones and muscles.

Our Runner Multivitamin contains up to 2x more Vitamin D to satisfy the unique demands of everyday runners.

Recommended Daily Value & Upper Limit: 400 to 4,000 IU/day

SOURCE:
Vitamin D is unique because it is the only vitamin the body can synthesize. Vitamin D is principally produced when the skin is exposed to sunlight with very little derived from dietary sources. Only a few foods contain sufficient Vitamin D, including salmon, tuna, sardines, and some mushrooms.[1],[2],[3]

FUNCTION IN THE BODY:
Vitamins function in the human body as metabolic regulators, influencing a number of physiological processes important to exercise and sport performance. Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium to grow and repair bones. Without sufficient Vitamin D, bones can be become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Vitamin D also helps reduce inflammation.[4]

HOW IT WORKS:
Vitamin D is so critical that the body produces it itself versus relying on the diet as with other vitamins. Vitamin D is produced when light energy (e.g. sunlight) is absorbed by the precursor molecule 7-dehydrocholesterol in the skin. The amount of Vitamin D produced depends on factors such as the season (less sunshine in the fall and winter), time of day (less sunshine for early morning and evening runs), and even sunscreen. SPF 15 sunscreen reduces the amount of UVB that penetrates the skin by 98%, effectively blocking Vitamin D synthesis. In the U.S., only people who live south of a line drawn from Los Angeles to Columbia, S.C. get enough sunlight for adequate Vitamin D production throughout the year.[5]

Once created, Vitamin D is converted to a hormone and stored in the liver. When the body detects low calcium levels, the hormone is released into the bloodstream, binds to cells, and enables cellular absorption of calcium from the food digested in the intestines. [6]

WHY IT MATTERS TO RUNNERS:
Vitamin D is the one of the most common vitamin deficiencies, especially for runners that train early morning/late evening, indoors, or live at mid-to-northern part of the United States. Sufficient Vitamin D levels help everyday athletes:

  • Strengthen bones – Vitamin D plays a well-known benefit in bone health and stress fracture prevention.
     
  • Maximize muscle function – Studies show strong correlation between Vitamin D sufficiency and optimal muscle function by reducing inflammation, pain, and increasing ATP molecule concentration.[8]
     
  •  Improve cardiovascular function – Studies show that Vitamin D reduces inflammatory molecules and cholesterol buildup in the arteries.[9]

Best wishes chasing your running goals!

PEREGRUNE engineers runner vitamins and supplements to help you get a little bit better everyday.

If we can help your running goals, please use Discount Code SCIENCE for 10% OFF your first order at www.peregrune.com

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[1] Medline Plus (2015, March). Vitamin D. Retrieved May 11, 2017, from: https://medlineplus.gov/vitamind.html

[2] LeWine, Howard (2014, April). Benefits of Vitamin D supplements still debated. Retried May 11, 2017, from: http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/benefits-vitamin-d-supplements-still-debated-201404047106

[3] Bowen, Richard. http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/otherendo/vitamind.html

[4] National Institutes of Health (2016, February). Vitamin D Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. Retrieved May 11, 2017, from: https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/VitaminD-HealthProfessional/

[5] DeNoon, Daniel J. (2011, September). The Truth about Vitamin D. Retried May 13, 2017, from: http://www.webmd.com/osteoporosis/features/the-truth-about-vitamin-d

[6] Bowen, Richard. http://www.vivo.colostate.edu/hbooks/pathphys/endocrine/otherendo/vitamind.html

[7] Shuler, Franklin, et al (2012, November). Sports Health Benefits of Vitamin D. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3497950/

[8] Shuler, Franklin, et al (2012, November). Sports Health Benefits of Vitamin D. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3497950/

[9] Cancer Treatment Centers of America (2013, July). http://www.cancercenter.com/community/newsletter/july-2013/vitamin-d-and-cancer/

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information contained herein is for informational purposes only and does not establish a doctor-patient relationship. Please be sure to consult your physician before taking this or any other product. Consult your physician for any health problems.