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How to ensure Vitamin D supply for marathon and crossfit

Posted by Pascal Landshoeft

Mar 20, 2015 3:33:00 PM

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How to ensure Vitamin D supply for marathon and crossfit

When you are exercising a lot you have to take care of your nutrition to stay healthy. Vitamin D is a vital part and I personally cover my intake with one tablespoon of cod liver oil a day with good results. I am still injury free when it comes to my bones and muscles with two years of marathon training and one year of crossfitting aged 29.

What is Vitamin D ?

Vitamin D is naturally present only in a few foods. Humans usually absorb the most of their vitamin D via the skin through sunlight. Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium in the gut which in turn helps bone growth.

It is also associated to help the production of cells in the neural and immune system and reduce inflammation. Most recent studies suggest that the influence on these areas is higher than it was assumed to be in the past.

Here you see one further reason why you should do your endurance work outside rather than on a treadmill as you will get more exposure to sunlight and therefore strengthen your system by more natural intake of Vitamin D.

Why is it important for marathon and crossfit athletes ?

Bone fractures and shin splints due to wear and tear of over training are not just annoying, they also keep you from progressing as quick as you want to due to training missed because of injury.

Vitamin D will enable you to minimize risk of bone injury and strengthen your immune system to fight off all of these colds and sniffles to keep training and perform better long time.

How much Vitamin D do I need ?

The table below shows you how much Vitamin D you should ideally take in a day. If you are very active, you might go even a bit higher. So far it did not do me any harm. To be sure consult a doctor even though this data is taken from the recommendations of the American health department.

Table 2: Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for Vitamin D [1]
Age
Male
Female
Pregnancy
Lactation
0–12 months*
400 IU
(10 mcg)
400 IU
(10 mcg)
 
 
1–13 years
600 IU
(15 mcg)
600 IU
(15 mcg)
 
 
14–18 years
600 IU
(15 mcg)
600 IU
(15 mcg)
600 IU
(15 mcg)
600 IU
(15 mcg)
19–50 years
600 IU
(15 mcg)
600 IU
(15 mcg)
600 IU
(15 mcg)
600 IU
(15 mcg)
51–70 years
600 IU
(15 mcg)
600 IU
(15 mcg)
 
 
>70 years
800 IU
(20 mcg)
800 IU
(20 mcg)
 
 
* Adequate Intake (AI)
 

Over dosage of Vitamin D can lead to anorexia, weight loss, polyuria, and heart arrhythmias. Above and beyond it can also raise blood levels of calcium which leads to vascular and tissue calcification, with subsequent damage to the heart, blood vessels, and kidneys. Here are the upper intake levels for you as a guideline.

 

Table 4: Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (ULs) for Vitamin D [1]
Age Male Female Pregnancy Lactation
0–6 months 1,000 IU
(25 mcg)
1,000 IU
(25 mcg)
   
7–12 months 1,500 IU
(38 mcg)
1,500 IU
(38 mcg)
   
1–3 years 2,500 IU
(63 mcg)
2,500 IU
(63 mcg)
   
4–8 years 3,000 IU
(75 mcg)
3,000 IU
(75 mcg)
   
≥9 years 4,000 IU
(100 mcg)
4,000 IU
(100 mcg)
4,000 IU
(100 mcg)
4,000 IU
(100 mcg)

 

Where do I get my vitamin D ?

I personally found that the easiest option for me is to have one tablespoon of cod liver oil once I have prepared my breakfast. My breakfast consists of a bowl of porridge with strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and bananas, one wellman pill, one glucosamine pill, whey protein with water and the cod liver oil. Have the protein shake ready to flush down the fish oil, because the taste of it is gross. Be prepared for disgusting cod liver burps. If you can not stand the cod liver, because lets face it , someone squeezed the liver of a fish, bottled it, and sold it to you, then the following list provides you with less effective alternatives. Always check the labels of the Cod liver bottles to see the concentration. You ideally want the ones with the higher concentration of the things you need.

Table 3: Selected Food Sources of Vitamin D [11]
Food IUs per serving* Percent DV**
Cod liver oil, 1 tablespoon 1,360 340
Swordfish, cooked, 3 ounces 566 142
Salmon (sockeye), cooked, 3 ounces 447 112
Tuna fish, canned in water, drained, 3 ounces 154 39
Orange juice fortified with vitamin D, 1 cup (check product labels, as amount of added vitamin D varies) 137 34
Milk, nonfat, reduced fat, and whole, vitamin D-fortified, 1 cup 115-124 29-31
Yogurt, fortified with 20% of the DV for vitamin D, 6 ounces (more heavily fortified yogurts provide more of the DV) 80 20
Margarine, fortified, 1 tablespoon 60 15
Sardines, canned in oil, drained, 2 sardines 46 12
Liver, beef, cooked, 3 ounces 42 11
Egg, 1 large (vitamin D is found in yolk) 41 10
Ready-to-eat cereal, fortified with 10% of the DV for vitamin D, 0.75-1 cup (more heavily fortified cereals might provide more of the DV) 40 10
Cheese, Swiss, 1 ounce 6 2

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