Vitamin D did not increase BMD among some ballet dancers – March 2012

Vitamin D status and musculoskeletal health in adolescent male ballet dancers a pilot study.

J Dance Med Sci. 2011;15(3):99-107.
Ducher G, Kukuljan S, Hill B, Garnham AP, Nowson CA, Kimlin MG, Cook J.
Noll Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park 16802, USA. gaele.ducher@hotmail.com

Adequate vitamin D levels during growth are critical to ensuring optimal bone development. Vitamin D synthesis requires sun exposure; thus, athletes engaged in indoor activities such as ballet dancing may be at relatively high risk of vitamin D insufficiency. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of low vitamin D levels in young male ballet dancers and its impact on musculoskeletal health. Eighteen male ballet dancers, aged 10 to 19 years and training for at least 6 hours per week, were recruited from the Australian Ballet School, Melbourne, Australia. Serum 25(OH)D and intact PTH were measured in winter (July) from a non-fasting blood sample. Pubertal stage was determined using self-assessed Tanner criteria. Body composition and areal bone mineral density (aBMD) at the whole body and lumbar spine were measured using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Injury history and physical activity levels were assessed by questionnaire. Blood samples were obtained from 16 participants. Serum 25(OH)D levels ranged from 20.8 to 94.3 nmol/L, with a group mean of 50.5 nmol/L. Two participants (12.5%) showed vitamin D deficiency [serum 25(OH)D level < 25 nmol/L], seven dancers (44%) had vitamin D insufficiency (25 to 50 nmol/L), and the remaining seven dancers (44%) had normal levels (> 50 nmol/L).

No relationship was found between vitamin D status, PTH levels, body composition, and aBMD. The most commonly reported injuries were muscle tears and back pain. The average number of injuries reported by each dancer was 1.9 ± 0.4 (range: 0 to 5). There was no difference in the frequency of reported injuries between subjects with vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency (2.1 ± 0.6 injuries) and those with normal vitamin D levels (1.4 ± 0.6 injuries). This pilot study showed that more than half of highly-trained young male ballet dancers presented with low levels of vitamin D in winter. Further investigations in larger samples of adolescent athletes are needed to determine if this could negatively impact bone growth and place them at higher risk for musculoskeletal injuries.

PMID: 22040755
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Small group of male youths danced indoors at least 6 hours per week
Perhaps they did not have enough bone-building co-factors to build BMD.

See It takes more than just Vitamin D to build bones which include the following list

  1. Calcium: 500 mg daily
  2. Magnesium: 500 mg daily
  3. Vitamin K2: 5-10 mg daily
  4. Boron: 5-10 mg daily
  5. Silicon: 2 mg daily
  6. Strontium: 10 - 100 mg daily - confusion

See also VitaminDWiki

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