The Relationship between Vitamin D Levels, Fat Percentage and Athletic Performance in Trained Males

Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D play an essential role in regulating the function of

athletes' skeletal muscles. However, the aim of the present study was to investigate the

relationship between vitamin D levels, fat percentage and athletic performance of trained male

athletes. Methods: 30 athletes of different endurance, strength and power sports with average

age of 23.03 ± 3.45 years, height 172.96 ± 4.14 meters, weight 67.33 ± 5.65 kg and body mass

index (BMI) 22.81 ± 2.28 kg/m2, after measuring anthropometric indices, 5 ml of venous blood

fasting samples were taken to measure vitamin D3 levels. Then, to measure the aerobic power

of athletes, shuttle thigh test, lower and upper muscle strength were used, chest press and leg

press tests, hand grip test, hand strength test and vertical jump test were used. Pearson correlation

coefficient test was used to evaluate the relationship between vitamin D3 levels with aerobic

power, strength and muscle power. Result: There was a direct and significant relationship

between vitamin D3 levels with aerobic power, lower and upper limb muscle strength, hand grip

strength and muscle strength of athletes and inverse relationship between vitamin D3 levels with

fat percentage in athletes. Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be said that high levels of

vitamin D in trained athletes have a significant relationship with their physical function, so that

high levels can improve performance in trained athletes.