Vitamin D Status Among Competitive Female Gymnast and Swimmers After Winter Time

Vitamin D Status Relate to Bone Mineral Density, Body Composition and Variey Cardiovascular Risk Factors Among Competitive Female Gymnasts and Swimmers After Winter Time

As indoor athletes, competitive gymnasts and swimmers can face the problem of a potential vitamin D deficiency. In the last decades, indoor sports participants have been faced with the problem of an institutionalized lifestyle and, in some places, a lower exposure to sun, which is also associated with the geographical area with a lower or higher UV index, especially in autumn, winter, and early spring (from October to April), when the day is shorter and the clock shifts to winter time. The problem with gymnasts and swimmers lies in daily trainings in the gym and pool and in the daily rest between two trainings, which can be spend more or less institutionally. The investigators wanted to examine the vitamin D status related to bone mineral density, body composition and various cardiovascular markers among young competitive gymnasts and swimmers after winter time. The investigators want to potentially give more solid but sensible recommendations for trainers, athletes, parents and sports doctors when it comes to vitamin D supplementations for indoor female athletes.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Vitamin D Deficiency; Cardiovascular Risk Factor; Injuries; Nutritional Deficiency

Detailed Description

In this cross-sectional survey, the investigators will document vitamin D and the status of other micronutrients related to bone mineral density, body composition and a variety of risk factors for chronic non-communicable diseases.

The investigators hypothesize that there exists a serious problem of vitamin D deficiency among indoor athletes related to bone health, injuries and general health - especially when they are not using supplements. It is well known that vitamin D may improve athletic performance in vitamin D-deficient athletes.

International and national-level female gymnasts and swimmers that will be enrolled will sign an informed consent statement for the inclusion in this survey and the choice to participate in the study will be made by coaches and participants themselves and, in the event of females under 18 years of age, also by their parents, in accordance with the Helsinki declaration.

The investigators plan to enroll at least 30 female participants (15 gymnasts and 15 swimmers) who compete on an international and national level and are older than 12 years of age.

The investigators will measure the athletes' biochemistry in overnight fasted state (micronutrients, including vitamin D (25(OH)D), B12, Ca, Fe, Mg, K and P, lipids, liver enzymes, glucose, creatinine, etc.), their seated blood pressure status, bone mineral density (also segmental) and body composition, using Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), their dietary choice and nutrition intake status, using standardized Food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), their training characteristics, injury status and menstrual status. Athletes who are using vitamin D supplements or who have attended a one-month training camp in the southern geographical zone (Africa) will serve us as control group.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 31

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Slovenia
  • Ljubljana, Slovenia, 1000
    • Faculty of Sport

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 12 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: N/A
• Genders Eligible for Study: Female

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Sport

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• international and national level
• Signed informed consent for participation in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

-

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
gymnasts; Female gymnasts, older than 13 years, with status of ineternational or national level,
swimmers; Female swimmers, older than 12 years, with status of ineternational or national level,

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Differences between female gymnasts and swimmers of vitamin D status	Serum 25(OH)D (ng/ml) status after winter time	April 2018

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Differences between female gymnasts and swimmers of bone mineral density status	Bone mineral density status (g/cm3) using DEXA	April 2018

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Differences between female gymnasts and swimmers of body composition status	Lean and fat tissue mass (%) assessed dy DEXA	April 2018

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Ljubljana
• Collaborators: Barbara Jakše s.p.
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Ivan Čuk, University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Sport, Slovenia

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Holick MF. Vitamin D deficiency. N Engl J Med. 2007 Jul 19;357(3):266-81. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra070553. No abstract available.
• Bjelakovic G, Gluud LL, Nikolova D, Whitfield K, Wetterslev J, Simonetti RG, Bjelakovic M, Gluud C. Vitamin D supplementation for prevention of mortality in adults. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2014 Jan 10;(1):CD007470. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD007470.pub3.
• Fuleihan Gel-H, Bouillon R, Clarke B, Chakhtoura M, Cooper C, McClung M, Singh RJ. Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels: Variability, Knowledge Gaps, and the Concept of a Desirable Range. J Bone Miner Res. 2015 Jul;30(7):1119-33. doi: 10.1002/jbmr.2536. Epub 2015 May 7.
• Bannert N, Starke I, Mohnike K, Frohner G. [Parameters of mineral metabolism in children and adolescents in athletic training]. Kinderarztl Prax. 1991 May;59(5):153-6. German.
• Lovell G. Vitamin D status of females in an elite gymnastics program. Clin J Sport Med. 2008 Mar;18(2):159-61. doi: 10.1097/JSM.0b013e3181650eee.
• De Keyzer W, Dekkers A, Van Vlaslaer V, Ottevaere C, Van Oyen H, De Henauw S, Huybrechts I. Relative validity of a short qualitative food frequency questionnaire for use in food consumption surveys. Eur J Public Health. 2013 Oct;23(5):737-42. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/cks096. Epub 2012 Jul 26.
• Geiker NRW, Hansen M, Jakobsen J, Kristensen M, Larsen R, Jorgensen NR, Hansen BS, Bugel S. Vitamin D Status and Muscle Function Among Adolescent and Young Swimmers. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2017 Oct;27(5):399-407. doi: 10.1123/ijsnem.2016-0248. Epub 2017 May 30.
• Jakse B, Jakse B, Cuk I, Sajber D. Body Composition, Training Volume/Pattern and Injury Status of Slovenian Adolescent Female High-Performance Gymnasts. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 19;18(4):2019. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18042019.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 5, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): April 6, 2018
• Study Completion (Actual): April 6, 2018

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 23, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 10, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): July 12, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 12, 2018
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 10, 2018
• Last Verified: July 1, 2018

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nutrition Disorders; Avitaminosis; Deficiency Diseases; Vitamin D Deficiency; Malnutrition
• Other Study ID Numbers: 0120-177/2018

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No