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Young Athletes and Vitamin D

To protect his girlfriend, Olive Oyl, and defend himself against strongman Bluto, Popeye the Sailorman guzzled loads of iron-packed spinach, the vegetable capable of restoring his strength when depleted. After eating spinach, Popeye, with his bulging forearms, could defeat any nemesis, a feat all athletes strive to achieve. While this comic strip perhaps overstates the power of spinach, it illustrates an important point: Foods such as spinach, loaded with vitamins and minerals, do give people strength by helping to build and repair structures in the body such as muscles and bones. Athletes in particular should understand the vital role these nutrients play in keeping their bodies functioning and optimizing their performances.
As discussed the past three weeks in Life Lines, the body burns carbohydrates, fat and protein for energy. In order to break down these macronutrients (nutrients needed in large quantities) and convert them into fuel, however, the body needs vitamins. While vitamins themselves do not supply energy, they aid in the conversion of food to energy. And because the body can only synthesize two vitamins on its own (D and K), vitamins must be obtained from foods, the most efficient way for people to absorb the nutrients they need (as opposed to relying on pills or other supplements).
B-complex vitamins, the group of vitamins that help metabolize carbohydrates, fat and proteins can be found in foods such as whole grain breads, fortified breakfast cereals, lean meats (especially pork), fish, leafy green vegetables, legumes, peas and beans. These vitamins also help form hemoglobin in red blood cells, the vehicle that delivers oxygen to the muscles during aerobic endurance exercises.
In addition to B vitamins, athletes should understand the importance of vitamin C, beyond its ability to help the immune system fight viruses and other infections. For one, vitamin C helps produce collagen, a structural protein necessary for building and repairing bone tissue, muscles, ligaments, tendons and cartilage. And second, vitamin C helps the body absorb calcium and iron, two minerals most Americans fail to consume in adequate amounts. Fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C include grapefruit, oranges, papayas, peppers, broccoli and Brussels sprouts.
Athletes must also ensure their diets include sufficient amounts of vitamin D for its ability, as many commercials have made known, to "do a body good" and build strong bones. Like vitamin C, vitamin D also helps the body absorb calcium, the main mineral found in bones. With 20 to 30 minutes of sunlight a day three times a week, a person can make a healthy amount of vitamin D. And conveniently, several foods rich in calcium - yogurt, milk and fortified orange juice, for example - are also good sources of vitamin D.
Because young bones absorb calcium better than older bones, and because bones stop absorbing calcium after a certain age, growing athletes (and children in general) should pay close attention to consuming their Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) of calcium for their age group. Bones build mass (by absorbing calcium) for about the first 25 years of a person's life, and thus, the calcium adolescents absorb determines how strong their bones will be for the rest of their lives.
After age 25, however, calcium still plays a vital role in the body. While the body stores most of its calcium in its bones and teeth, some calcium circulates in the bloodstream where it helps muscles, such as the heart, contract. When blood calcium drops too low - as a result of low intake, for example, or through sweat while exercising - bones get robbed of their calcium. Maintaining adequate calcium levels in the body is important at all ages.
Children ages 8 to 18 should consume 1300 mg of calcium per day. Participating in weight-bearing exercises (which improves bone mass and encourages the deposit of calcium in the bones), consuming vitamins C and D, and drinking tap water promotes calcium absorption in the body, as does limiting the consumption of protein, salt and carbonated beverages. In addition to milk, yogurt and fortified orange juice, good food sources of calcium include dark green leafy vegetables such as collard greens, broccoli, tofu, canned sardines and fortified cereals.
As mentioned above, most people fail to take in an adequate amount of iron, a deficiency that, among other adverse effects, may impair an athlete's performance. The body uses iron to make hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the blood, and myoglobin, which carries oxygen in the muscles. When a person doesn't have enough iron, causing a shortage of hemoglobin in the bloodstream, an athlete may become short of breath. Similarly, when muscles are deprived of myoglobin, they will tire quickly because they need oxygen to function.
Young athletes in particular, because they are growing, and therefore demanding the body to create more hemoglobin (to carry oxygen through a bigger body), should be sure to consume adequate amounts of iron. Food sources of iron include liver, red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, green leafy vegetables such as Popeye's spinach, peas, beans, nuts, dried fruits, enriched pasta and bread, and fortified cereals. (Iron in large amounts, however, can be toxic: It is important to follow RDAs for vitamins and minerals.)
For all human beings, vitamins and minerals play vital roles in nearly every process occurring in the body. For athletes, some micronutrients play more important roles than others. That said, however, vitamins and minerals work together, and too much or too little of one may adversely affect another and ultimately harm the body - most people do not need supplements beyond a standard multivitamin. In fact, the best way for most people to ensure they absorb a healthy amount of vitamins and minerals, according to the authors of the Wellness Encyclopedia of Food and Nutrition (Random House, 1992), is to eat a varied and balanced diet. These health professionals believe the key to good health "lies in maintaining the proper percentages - not too little, not too much."
Besides, as nutritious and tasty as spinach is, does anyone really want to have forearms like Popeye's?

SOURCE: http://www.thebulletin.us/site/news....d=576361&rfi=6
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