Mercola Online - with video
Story at-a-glance
- Vitamin D influences key hormones like leptin, an energy balancer, and myostatin, which limits muscle growth. It plays a direct role in how your body manages energy, builds muscle and regulates fat storage through various metabolic pathways
- A study published as a preprint on Research Square found that high-dose vitamin D increases muscle strength, reduces myostatin, shifts calories toward muscle development and enhances metabolic rate
- Vitamin D mimics anabolic steroids by suppressing myostatin to optimize muscle growth, redirecting energy from fat storage to muscle tissue and boosting metabolic rate
- Optimal vitamin D levels for health and disease prevention range from 60 to 80 ng/mL (150 to 200 nmol/L). Test twice a year and adjust your supplemental dose based on your results
- Natural sunlight is the ideal vitamin D source, as it provides benefits beyond vitamin D production. However, make sure to reduce your consumption of vegetable oil before sun exposure
The 2024 study - not peer reviewed