Vitamin Deficiency = Poor Athletic Performance

Filed in archive Studies on December 29, 2006

According to a new research from the Oregon State University published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, active individuals (college athletes and other professional sports competitors) may perform worse during high-intensity exercise and have a decreased ability to repair and build muscle than their counterparts with nutrient-rich diets.

Thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, B-12 and folate are the B-vitamins; the micronutrients needed by the body to convert proteins and sugars into energy, and are also used during the production and repair of cells (including red blood cells).

According to Melinda Manore, researcher in the Colleges of Agricultural and Health and Human Sciences:

"For active individuals a marginal deficiency in the nutrients may impact the body's ability to repair itself, operate efficiently and fight disease.

The stress on the body's energy producing pathways during exercise, the changes in the body's tissues resulting from training, an increase in the loss of nutrients in sweat, urine and feces during and after strenuous activity and the additional nutrients needed to repair and maintain higher levels of lean tissue mass present in some athletes and individuals may all affect an individuals B-vitamin requirements.

Many athletes, especially young athletes involved in highly competitive sports, do not realize the impact their diets have on their performance. By the time they reach adulthood they can have seriously jeopardized their abilities and their long-term health."

Well If normal (non-athletic) people also has certain vitamin requirements, I guess it's just logical that competitive athletes should need more, especially that of energy vitamins like the B-vitamins.

Read the full report at Science Daily.