We sometimes forget about the exceptional importance of our muscle’s health. But it’s the muscles that allow us to move freely, take the necessary posture, perform physical work, play sports, enjoy active leisure, and serve ourselves. Without the constant work of skeletal muscles, the most simple, vital processes like chewing, swallowing, breathing, and many others are impossible.
At the same time, it is generally accepted that to strengthen the muscular apparatus, it is enough to maintain physical activity, in particular, regularly playing sports, doing exercises, and walking. All these measures are really important, but they alone are not enough.
Recent research has shown that metabolism in muscle tissue plays an important role in maintaining muscle tone and strength. Metabolism ensures the construction of new muscle fibers, their nutrition, and effective contraction, that is, it ensures the normal functioning of the muscular system.
With a deficiency of certain nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, muscle dysfunction is possible. The strength of the muscles decreases, they lose their tone and elasticity, they are easily injured during work, and cramps and muscle pain can disturb them. And if the nutritional deficiency (primarily, the protein necessary for the regeneration of muscle fibers) is easy to make up for through good nutrition, with vitamins and minerals, everything is somewhat more complicated.
What vitamins are needed for muscles?
First of all, this is vitamin D — a unique substance similar in structure to a hormone, which is why in several literary sources and studies it is directly called hormone D. Perhaps it is due to this molecular structure that calciferol and its metabolites are involved in a variety of physiological processes occurring in the body, including metabolism in muscle tissue.
How to strengthen your muscles? Take vitamin D, especially if the muscular system is subjected to regular stress (during active sports, physical work) or if muscle pain and cramps are bothering you. The use of vitamin D helps to reduce the frequency of pain and cramps in the muscles and serves as a prevention of muscle injuries during physical work or sports.
Vitamin D for muscle strengthening
Scientists have long paid attention to the fact that under the influence of sunlight, the working capacity and physical activity of a person grows. Each of us could notice this on our own: in spring and summer we automatically become more active, and in autumn and winter — as if we fall into “hibernation” — metabolism slows down, and activity is reduced to a minimum. Sunlight activates the production of calciferol in the skin, which, in turn, stimulates muscle activity, and increases muscle strength and endurance, generally increasing the tone of the body.
More recent studies have confirmed the direct involvement of vitamin D and its metabolites in receptor-mediated muscle tissue functions:
- protein synthesis
- muscle contractions
At the same time, a truly unique property of vitamin D can be considered that it helps to increase the concentration of protein in muscle tissue and increase muscle volume even in conditions of limited mobility or complete immobility of a person. Thus, several studies have confirmed a pronounced strengthening of muscles and an increase in muscle mass and strength due to the intake of vitamin D in people paralyzed due to a stroke.
The beneficial effect of calciferol on the muscular system of the elderly has been proven — for example, regular intake of vitamin D helps to increase muscle strength and tone and significantly reduce the frequency of falls. Older people who take calciferol supplements are significantly more physically active, which has a beneficial effect on the health of such people in general.
Originally posted on Medium
