Context: Regular exercise or high physical activity levels are associated with higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations; however, the effect of acute exercise on serum 25(OH)D concentrations remains unclear.
Objective: We aimed to clarify whether acute endurance exercise has a direct effect on the circulating 25(OH)D concentrations in young adults.
Design and setting: Exercise intervention trial in an institutional practice.
Patients: Twenty young, active adults (males, n = 10; females, n = 10).
Interventions: Participants were asked to perform a cycling exercise for 30 minutes at 70% maximal oxygen uptake.
Main outcome measures: The serum concentrations of 25(OH)D and other blood parameters were assessed before exercise and at 0, 0.5, 1, 3, and 24 hours after exercise.
Results: The serum 25(OH)D concentrations were significantly increased not only at 0 (P < 0.01), 1 (P < 0.05), and 3 hours (P < 0.01) after exercise, but they were also increased at 24 hours (P < 0.05) after acute endurance exercise in young adults. A significant sex × time interaction effect was observed (P < 0.05), and the incremental areas under the curve for the 25(OH)D concentrations were significantly higher in men than in the women (P < 0.01).
Conclusions: There is a direct effect of endurance exercise on serum 25(OH)D concentrations. In addition, sex disparity was observed in the serum 25(OH)D response to acute endurance exercise, and the increase in 25(OH)D concentrations was greater in men than in women.
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