VITAMIN D: OPTIMIZED WITH EXERCISE

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 VITAMIN D: OPTIMIZED WITH EXERCISE





As summer brings more sunlight and boosts vitamin D, it’s easy to forget how scarce both can be in winter. However, research from the University of Bath and collaborators shows that regular exercise is a simple way to protect vitamin D when the days get short.

In a study published in Advanced Science, researchers followed overweight and obese adults through the winter months, having some participants participate in a 10-week indoor exercise program. The routine included four weekly sessions: treadmill walking, steady-state cycling, and high-intensity interval bike training. Everyone’s weight stayed stable, and no one took vitamin D supplements. The research ran from October to April, when sunlight-driven vitamin D production is minimal in the UK.

The results? Those who exercised saw their overall vitamin D levels drop only about 15% over winter. In contrast, the number of people who didn’t exercise declined by around 25%. More striking: exercise fully preserved levels of the body’s active vitamin D form (1,25(OH)₂D₃), which is crucial for bone health, the immune system, and organ function. In the group that skipped exercise, these active vitamin D levels fell by 15%.

Previous studies suggested supplements alone don’t keep this active form of vitamin D steady. This research is the first to show that regular exercise—without any weight loss—can help prevent the seasonal dip.

Lead author Dr. Oly Perkin sums it up: “This is the first study to show that exercise alone can protect against the winter dip in vitamin D. It’s a powerful reminder that we still have lots to learn about how exercise benefits our health.”

The takeaway: if you want to maintain healthy vitamin D levels in winter, regular moderate-intensity cardio could be just as important as what you eat or take in pill form.

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