Vitamin D’s Regulatory Role in Skeletal-Muscle Recovery Following Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58445/rars.4224Keywords:
Exercise-induced muscle damage, VDR, Vitamin D3, Calcifediol, Vitamin D Deficiency, Calcitriol, Athletes, SupplementationAbstract
Vitamin D is a key micronutrient with multiple roles in the body, including regulating the immune system and supporting muscular movement. However, vitamin D is a highly common deficiency in modern society. This high prevalence makes it important to clarify which health outcomes are affected by low vitamin D status. Maintaining adequate vitamin D levels may support musculoskeletal and immune health; however, the benefits for exercise recovery remain less certain. Athletic individuals may be at higher risk of low vitamin D status because of factors such as indoor training, seasonal variation, limited sun exposure, and inadequate intake. Although muscle-biopsy, rodent, and cell culture studies support a potential role for VDR signaling in skeletal muscle, direct human evidence linking vitamin D supplementation to post-EIMD recovery remains limited. Evidence suggests that correcting low vitamin-D status may support recovery related outcomes, whereas raising 25(OH)D (calcifediol) beyond sufficiency has not consistently improved muscle performance. Calcitriol-VDR signaling may influence myogenic progression and calcium related signaling, but this pathway has not been established in athletes. This review article addresses vitamin D’s role in recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD), more specifically vitamin D receptor’s role in skeletal muscle as well as calcium handling, while evaluating the current evidence on the effectiveness of supplementation in athletic settings, and exploring the explanations for any potential benefits in recovery. Future research should involve placebo-controlled trials in low baseline 25(OH)D athlete populations, primarily evaluating functional recovery, with blood measurements and muscle biopsies to determine whether improving vitamin-D status leads to activation of VDR-related pathways that enhance recovery significantly.
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