Clinical relevance of optimizing vitamin D status in soldiers to enhance physical and cognitive performance
This 2014 review summarizes the relationship vitamin D has with physical and cognitive performance in relation to the needs of military personnel. Deficiencies in vitamin D, which are widespread across the U.S. population and expected to be prevalent in Servicemembers, may be connected to increased risk for muscle or bone injury, muscle weakness, reduced neuromuscular function, cognitive decline, depression, longer recovery times following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Although vitamin D status has not been assessed after mTBI, veterans with traumatic brain injuries also experience chronic endocrine dysfunction, indicating vitamin D deficiency could possibly raise the risk for endocrine dysfunction. Since a relationship between vitamin D status and testosterone levels has been previously identified, and the concentrations of this hormone are low in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), it has been suggested poor vitamin D status also enhances risk for PTSD. Wentz et al. (2014) makes it clear vitamin D status has a significant impact on Operator health and performance, and therefore supports vitamin D supplementation since the intervention required would be noninvasive and low-cost and would help maintain the Operators’ combat strength. [NPID: military, vitamin D, performance, neuromuscular function, cognition, depression, recovery, brain injury, endocrine dysfunction, testosterone, PTSD, strength]
Year: 2014
