Bronwen travelled to Cambridge in September to attend an English Institute of Sport (EIS)/UK Sport led Sports Medicine & Performance Nutrition Master Class on bone health.
The event was held at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Human Nutrition Research Centre in Cambridge (www.mrc-hnr.cam.ac.uk) and was attended by medical and nutrition professionals working within UK sport, and research personnel from the MRC.
The workshop was directed by leading medical, nutrition and research scientists working in the field of bone health. The aims of the workshop were to investigate areas of bone health, including:
- Strategies to assess the bone health, and markers of bone turnover
- The impact of nutritional factors such as vitamin D and Calcium
- Discussion of methods to improve bone health, and subsequently improve performance in elite athletes.
The event discussed differences in onset and medical management of osteopenia, osteoporosis, stress and hairline fractures in the elderly population in a hospital setting, and in elite athlete populations. It highlighted that clinical knowledge and practices can be adapted for use in younger athlete populations.
The workshop included detailed discussion on Vitamin D and its role in bone health and performance. Research in this area continues to highlight the importance of this vitamin in muscle and bone strength. Deficiency however, appears to be high, and is estimated at 30-40% in populations living above 40 o latitude (Belfast is 54 o latitude). This is because sunshine is a predominant source of vitamin D, and it is difficult to obtain during the winter months, or for athletes training indoors.
Subsequent discussion about supplementation highlighted that large doses (50,000IU per month) of cholecalciferol may be the best management of Vitamin D deficiency. However, some hesitation remains regarding the appropriateness of such large doses. Lower doses (1000IU/day) were suggested to be sufficient to optimise blood levels throughout the winter, or in athletes that do not obtain adequate vitamin D from sunshine e.g. athletes training indoors.
Knowledge gained in this workshop reinforces current daily practices in the management of SINI athletes. Methods of assessing bone health will be further discussed with SINI staff, and strategies will be developed to assess, and treat suboptimal bone health in SINI athletes. In addition blood Vitamin D levels will now be included as part of routine athlete screening.
Bone health is a very important aspect of athletic performance and injury prevention. Currently it is predominantly considered an important issue in female athletes with a low body mass, but optimisation of bone health and vitamin D status appears to be beneficial in all athletes.
