Major considerations and outcomes of clinical trials of vitamin D in athlete performance: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: In addition to influencing physical performance, some studies verify the impact of vitamin D on body composition. It is known that their high levels favor the gain of fibers of fast contraction, favoring the increase of force due to the increase of muscular areas and it prevents loss of lean mass. Objective: It was present, through a systematic review, the main correlations and outcomes of clinical studies between vitamin D and physical exercise practitioners, analyzing the effects of vitamin D deficiency, sufficiency, and supplementation on sports performance. Methods: Following the criteria of literary search with the use of the Mesh Terms that were cited in the item below on "Search strategies", a total of 94 papers that were submitted to the eligibility analysis were collated and, after that, 65 studies were selected, following the rules of systematic review - PRISMA. The review protocol was based on literary search criteria using mesh terms in major databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Medline, Bireme, EBSCO, and Scielo. It followed the following steps: search for MeSH Terms: Vitamin D. Clinical trials. Physical exercises. Athletes. Quality of life. Conclusion: The present study aimed to present, through a systematic review, the main correlations and outcomes of clinical studies between vitamin D and physical exercise practitioners, analyzing the effects of vitamin D deficiency, sufficiency, and supplementation on sports performance.