Vitamin D offers many well-documented benefits, including for your immune system, your mood, and your bones. New research has revealed yet another reason why this vitamin is essential for your wellbeing.

Today we'll examine this recently-published study. It delves into the relationship between Vitamin D levels and the mitochondria in your skeletal muscle cells. You'll learn how to apply this new knowledge to stay healthy, active, and strong.

Study Links Dietary Vitamin D To Muscle Mitochondria

A recently-published study in the Journal of Endocrinology provides new evidence about the link between Vitamin D deficiency and muscle weakness and fatigue.

The study compared the effect of diets with and without adequate Vitamin D on laboratory mice. For three months, one group of mice received adequate levels of dietary Vitamin D while the other group received none.

The researchers measured the impact of this difference on mitochondrial respiration in the skeletal muscles of the mice. Here is what they found:

“In conclusion, we report that 3 months of diet-induced vitamin D deficiency reduced skeletal muscle mitochondrial respiration in C57BL/6J mice. Our data, when combined with previous in vitro observations, suggest that vitamin D-mediated regulation of mitochondrial function may underlie the exacerbated muscle fatigue and performance deficits observed during vitamin D deficiency.”¹

Synopsis

Researchers observed the impact of Vitamin D deficiency on the mitochondrial respiration of skeletal muscle in mice. They found that a lack of dietary Vitamin D reduced mitochondrial respiration, which may help account for muscle fatigue and other effects of Vitamin D deficiency.

About The Results

Mitochondria are the “powerhouse of the cell” because they produce the energy that your cells need to perform their functions. So if the mitochondria in muscle cells are unable to provide energy, the cells cannot function properly.

This explains why the Vitamin D-deficient group experienced significant muscle impairment. Without this crucial micronutrient, the mitochondria couldn't power the muscle cells. Fatigue and reduced physical performance were already associated with Vitamin D deficiency. This new finding helps explain why.¹

Vitamin D deficiency is a widespread health problem. As many as 40% of adults in the United States don't get enough Vitamin D. That may help to explain why so many people experience a loss of physical ability and muscle mass as they get older.¹

However, this new finding also offers hope. If Vitamin D deficiency is a driving force behind that loss of muscle and physical function, then Vitamin D is an untapped solution. Improved Vitamin D levels can help maintain muscle performance and prevent age-related muscle loss and weakness.

Synopsis

Mitochondria produce the energy that powers cells. If the mitochondria in muscle cells are unable to provide energy, the result is a loss of muscle function. Up to 40% of adults in the US are Vitamin D deficient. Improved Vitamin D intake helps to prevent age-related muscle loss and weakness.

Vitamin D And Bone Health

Muscle function is directly linked to bone strength because the pressure that our muscles exert on our bones stimulates bone growth. This relationship is described in Wolff's Law.

Weight-bearing exercise exerts positive pressure on our bones, and our body responds by strengthening them. But a loss of muscle mass and function can interrupt this productive cycle, preventing the maintenance of strong bones.

The bone building benefits of Vitamin D don't stop there. Here are some other ways this vitamin helps to support and protect your bones:

• Vitamin D helps protect against falls and fracture by reducing chronic pain and muscle weakness.²
• Vitamin D has mood-boosting abilities, which can help reduce stress and help you stay optimistic in your pursuit of bone-health.³
• Vitamin D reduces blood sugar levels when paired with regular exercise. High blood sugar levels have been linked to bone damage. ⁴
• Vitamin D helps to protect and improve your vision, which reduces falls. ⁵
• Last but not least, Vitamin D regulates your body's ability to absorb calcium and mineralize the collagen matrix that makes up your bones. ⁶

The Save Institute recommends taking 2000 IUs of Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) daily, especially during winter when sunlight is harder to come by. If you're getting plenty of sun, 2000 IUs daily is still safe– your body won't overproduce it. Vitamin D's bioavailability is greatly increased when taken with a source of healthy fats.

Synopsis

Vitamin D protects your skeletal muscle function. Using these muscles stimulates bone growth. So their function is essential for maintaining and strengthening bone. Additionally, Vitamin D supports bone health by preventing chronic pain, boosting mood, reducing blood sugar, protecting vision, and regulating calcium absorption.

What This Means To You

Savers are ahead of the curve when it comes to Vitamin D. (And when it comes to most health matters!) That's because Vitamin D is already a Foundation Supplement prioritized by the Osteoporosis Reversal Program.

It's one of many essential interlocking strategies for preventing and reversing bone loss.
Like other simple choices you can make to build stronger bones, increasing your Vitamin D intake is all-natural. And unlike Big Pharma's ineffective drugs, there are no side effects, only positive changes to the quality of your daily life.

References

¹ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33862598/

² https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15113819

³ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9539254

⁴ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4241902/

⁵ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaophthalmology/fullarticle/427167

⁶ https://www.nature.com/nrc/journal/v14/n5/full/nrc3691.html