Vitamin D levels of athletes and their relationship with injury
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70736/jrolss.611Keywords:
Athlete, Injury, Recovery, Vitamin DAbstract
The aim of this study is to reveal the effects of vitamin D levels of athletes on sports disciplines, injury frequency and recovery time. A total of 204 participants, aged 18-25, who actively continue their sports life with a minimum of 10 years of sports experience, participated in the study. Participants consisted of athletes from Football n=34, Athletics n=34, Rugby n=34, Basketball n=34, Combat Sports n=34 and Fitness-Bodybuilding n=34 branches. A personal information form, developed by the researcher, was applied to determine the demographic characteristics of the participants. Demographic information was used to examine whether there was a relationship between sport type, injury frequency, and recovery time. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that 171 athletes (83.8%) had vitamin D deficiency (<20ng/ml). Sports branches, injury history, and recovery time showed statistically significant results. Among the groups with different injury histories, a statistically significant difference was found in terms of vitamin D levels between the group without injury and the group with injury (p=0.000). Among groups with different return-to-sport times after injury, a statistically significant difference was found in vitamin D levels between the group that returned to sports within less than 1 month and the groups that took longer (p=0.001). These data have shown that vitamin D levels have a positive effect on athlete health.
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