Vitamin D supplementation significantly increases upper and lower limb strength, a review of seven trials has found.<\/p>\n
Previous research on vitamin D has focused on supplementation and muscle strength in frail, deficient and elderly women. This latest review \u2013 compiled by researchers at Queen Mary University of London \u2013 was the first systematic summary of the impact on muscle strength in young, healthy individuals and included data from 310 adults with an average age of between 21.5 and 31.5 years.<\/p>\n
The seven trials, which included 67% females, lasted from four weeks to six months while dosages ranged from 4,000\u00a0international units (IU) per day to 60,000\u00a0IU per week.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis review has found that vitamin D3 supplementation improves upper and lower limb muscle strength in a healthy, adult, athletic and non-athletic population between the ages of 18 and 40,\u201d the authors wrote in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport.<\/p>\n
The two studies that reported the most significant results employed total dosages between 60,000 and 14,000\u00a0IU of vitamin D per week for six to four months.<\/p>\n
That said, further research is still needed to clarify its effect on muscle power, endurance and maximum strength.<\/p>\n
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