Vitamin D supplements ‘can improve heart disease risk and exercise performance’

A new study has shown the potential benefits of vitamin D supplements in bolstering exercise performance and reducing people's heart disease risk.

The findings of a preliminary study presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Edinburgh have demonstrated the wider health benefits of the substance, which is both a vitamin and a hormone.

A team from the Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh saw 13 healthy adults receive daily dosages of vitamin D or a placebo over a two-week period, revealing that supplementation with vitamin D resulted in lower blood pressure compared to placebo.

Patients also experienced lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in their urine, while a fitness test found that the group taking vitamin D were able to cycle 6.5 km in 20 minutes – compared to only five km at the start of the experiment.

Moreover, despite cycling 30 percent further in the same time, the group taking vitamin D supplements showed lower signs of physical exertion.

Dr Raquel Revuelta Iniesta, co-author of the study, said: "Our next step is to perform a larger clinical trial for a longer period of time in both healthy individuals and large groups of athletes, such as cyclists or long-distance runners."