RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 355 Vitamin D status and muscle injury risk in elite male football players over 3 seasons
JF British Journal of Sports Medicine
JO Br J Sports Med
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine
SP A135
OP A135
DO 10.1136/bjsports-2021-IOC.323
VO 55
IS Suppl 1
A1 Julen Arce
A1 Toscana Viar
A1 Jose Antonio Lekue
A1 Paco Angulo
A1 Imanol Martin-Garetxana
A1 Eder Bikandi
A1 Xabier Monasterio
A1 Jon Larruskain
YR 2021
UL http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/Suppl_1/A135.1.abstract
AB Background Vitamin D has a role in skeletal muscle function and metabolism, however, its influence on muscle injury risk remains unclear.Objective To evaluate the association between Vitamin D status and muscle injury risk.Design Prospective cohort study.Setting Elite male football team from Spanish LaLiga.Participants 41 players were prospectively followed from 2016–2017 to 2018–2019.Assessment of Risk Factors Injuries and exposure time were recorded by the team doctor following the FIFA consensus. Blood analyses were performed in 4 different season periods (July, October, January and May).Main Outcome Measurements Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels were compared between periods using Student’s T-test. The association of Vitamin D with 56 muscle injuries requiring 4 or more days of absence was investigated using a Cox-frailty model. The influence of days of absence due to all injuries on between-period changes in Vitamin D was assessed using linear mixed models.Results Vitamin D levels were highest in July (mean±SD; 48.1±9.9 ng/ml, p<0.001 vs. other periods), and lowest in January (27.3±7.9 ng/ml, p<0.001). There were no differences between October (37.3±8.3 ng/ml) and May (34.5±10.7 ng/ml, p=0.89). There was no association between continuous Vitamin D levels and muscle injuries adjusting for season period [hazard ratio=1.01, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.97–1.05, p=0.66]. Players in the lowest period-specific quartile, i.e. with the lowest vitamin D levels, had a 2.29 times lower risk of injury (95% CI=0.97–5.41, p=0.06, 1.30 muscle injuries/1000 h) compared with players in the middle (3.24/1000 h) and highest (2.87/1000 h) quartiles combined. Days of absence were negatively associated with changes in Vitamin D levels after adjusting for season period (B=-0.06, 95% CI=-0.13–0.01, p=0.06).Conclusions The association of Vitamin D status with muscle injuries should be further explored as studies are contradictory. Seasonal variations and being injured should be considered when supplementing with Vitamin D.