Maybe. VO2 max measures the maximum amount of oxygen someone can use during exertion. This gives an indication of aerobic fitness, though it does not provide a complete picture. Despite this limitation, if something can raise VO2 max values, it’s worth investigating.
A recent study (1) notes an association between VO2 max measures and serum readings for serum 25-hydroxy-vitamin D. This vitamin D measure relates to how much vitamin D is in the body from foods, supplements, and skin production after sun exposure.
So, exactly did the study find? The researchers looked for the correlation between serum 25-hyrdoxy-vitamin D levels and VO2 max in each participant. In other words, they wanted to see if the two were related (ie. if one measure was relatively high, would the other also be relatively high?). When the results came in, people with the highest 25-hyrdoxy-vitamin D readings did tend to have high VO2 max values (at least compared to people with the lowest 25-hydoxy-vitamin D readings). Other studies had also found similar correlations (ie. 2,3), though the types of subjects studied were less broad than in the recent study. For example, in one of the previous studies (3), the subjects were all on statins, drugs that treat high cholesterol. Despite this limitation, if these correlation studies are viewed together, they might mean that the amount of body vitamin D affects VO2 max capacities. However, correlations can be just coincidental. In other words, in some settings, people with relatively high VO2 max may just happen to be people who also get a lot of vitamin D from diet, supplements, and/or the sun.
To further complicate the situation, a study in Irish teenagers didn’t see a correlation between vitamin D and VO2 max readings (4). In addition, 2 studies on vitamin D supplementation and VO2 max don’t strongly support a connection between the two measures (5,6). In one of these studies (5), vitamin D supplementation did not improve VO2 max in Irish soccer players even though serum 25-hyrdoxy-vitamin D increased (though starting values may have varied too much to get consistent effects on VO2 max). In another study (6), VO2 max did increase with high dose supplementation in rowers, but the placebo group had their VO2 max go up to about the same degree. So, maybe something about the study design primed the subjects for increased VO2 max regardless of vitamin D intake. Similarly, in another study (7), high dose vitamin D supplementation and placebo both enhanced a training effect on VO2 max. However, here the increase was noticeably bigger in the vitamin D group. So, this last study still leaves the door open that body vitamin D contents could affect VO2 max in some circumstances (though maybe not in all situations).
In summary, sometimes serum vitamin D correlates with VO2 max, but this could be coincidental. There have been a few supplementation studies, but they have only suggested that more work is needed. So, maybe your vitamin D intake + skin production will affect your particular VO2 max in some circumstances, but maybe not.
What can you do you if you want to be prepared in case a relationship does exist, at least in some people? For that approach, you can strive for the serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D readings that correlated with the better VO2 max values. In the most recent study (1), those readings averaged about 81 nmol/L, which equates to 32 ng/ml. Shooting for close to that value would seem like a good idea since 30 ng/ml is the cutoff MDs often use for good vitamin D status. Some people advocate for even higher values than this, though this contention remains unsettled. If you don’t know your serum readings, ask your physician to request an analysis.
Before popping a lot of vitamin D as a supplement, or eating a bunch of liver, or getting a lot of sun, talk to a dietitian or physician who knows your specific situation. Really high doses of vitamin D are known to have toxic effects. Even some moderately high doses may cause problems with the body’s melatonin levels, which can affect sleep (8).
- Marawan A, Kurbanova N, Qayyum R. Association between serum vitamin D levels and cardiorespiratory fitness in the adult population of the USA. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. October 2018;2047487318807279
- Mowry DA, Costello MM, Heelan KA. Association among cardiorespiratory fitness, body fat, and bone marker measurements in healthy young females. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 2009;109:534-539.
- Ardestani A, Parker B, Mathur S, et al. Relation of vitamin D level to maximal oxygen uptake in adults. The American Journal of Cardiology. 2011;107:1246-1249.
- Carson EL, Pourshahidi LK, Hill TR, et al. Vitamin D, Muscle Function, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Adolescents From the Young Hearts Study. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology And Metabolism. 2015;100:4621-4628.
- Todd JJ, McSorley EM, Pourshahidi LK, et al. Vitamin D3 supplementation using an oral spray solution resolves deficiency but has no effect on VO2 max in Gaelic footballers: results from a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. European Journal of Nutrition. 2017;56:1577-1587.
- Jastrzębski Z. Effect of vitamin D supplementation on the level of physical fitness and blood parameters of rowers during the 8-week high intensity training. Fascicula Educatie Fizica si Sport. 2014;2:57–67.
- Jastrzębska M, Kaczmarczyk M, Michalczyk M, et al. Can Supplementation of Vitamin D Improve Aerobic Capacity in Well Trained Youth Soccer Players? Journal of Human Kinetics. 2018;61:63-72.
- Mason C, de Dieu Tapsoba J, Duggan C, Wang C, Korde L, McTiernan A. Repletion of vitamin D associated with deterioration of sleep quality among postmenopausal women. Preventive Medicine 2016;93:166-170.
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