A recent study led by the University of Bath, University of Cambridge and University of Birmingham and covered recently by the BBC has shown that staying active during the winter months can help maintain vitamin D levels. In the UK, it’s estimated that over 10% of adults don’t get enough of this essential nutrient, which is important for maintaining healthy muscles and bones. 

The research focused on overweight and obese adults participating in a 10-week indoor exercise program. Those who exercised experienced much smaller decreases in their vitamin D levels compared to those who remained inactive. 

This research is the first to demonstrate that exercise by itself can prevent the typical decline in vitamin D during the winter months. 

The study involved more than 50 participants and took place between October and April, a period when sunlight exposure is limited. Participants engaged in four workout sessions each week, which included treadmill walking, steady-state cycling, and high-intensity interval training on a bike. 

Results showed that individuals who exercised had about a 15% reduction in overall vitamin D levels over winter, whereas those who did not exercise experienced a roughly 25% decline. Additionally, exercise was found to fully maintain the active form of vitamin D that supports healthy bones, teeth, muscles, and the immune system. 

‘The outcomes from the study highlight an important association between regular exercise and maintaining vitamin D levels throughout the year, particularly during the winter months when individuals are more susceptible to being vitamin D deficient,’ says Carl. 

Now leading the Vitamin D Bioanalysis Research Group at the LMS, Carl will continue this collaboration by performing mass spectrometry measurements of samples collected from this study to explore further findings.  

‘These findings provide many opportunities for further exploration, including the direct role of vitamin D in exercise physiology, as well as investigating changes that occur in the complex metabolism of vitamin D during exercise. At the LMS we are currently establishing novel analytical methods to explore this,’ says Carl.  

Carl completed this work while on Secondment at University of Sydney/ANZAC Research Institute from the University of Birmingham. The work was a collaboration with Dr Oly Perkin and Professor Dylan Thompson of the University of Bath. 

The BBC covered this news in May: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cj428812ejdo  

The original article, published in Advanced Science, can be accessed here:  https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/advs.202416312