Effects of three months of vitamin D, creatine, and polyunsaturated fatty acids supplementation in body composition and biochemical parameters in professional soccer players

BACKGROUND: Monitoring of biochemical markers related to inflammation and muscle damage in high-performance sports is increasingly used; sometimes, these markers are interrelated with other of body composition. The main objective of this study was to analyze the effects of a specific nutritional supplementation on body composition and on markers of muscle damage and inflammation in professional soccer players during part of a competitive season. METHODS: A total of 15 athletes from a soccer team of the Italian first division (Serie A) were evaluated over a period of three months. The final sample was N.=12. A daily supplementation was administered based on vitamin D, creatine, mineral salts and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Biochemical analyses, bioelectrical impedance (BIA), and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) were performed. RESULTS: Muscle mass determined by DEXA significantly increased and total body water (TBW) was stabilized both in intracellular and extracellular components during this period. Creatine kinase (CK) did not suffer important variations and its slight increase was not significant, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were reduced, and vitamin D showed a significant increase between pretest and post-test. CONCLUSIONS: The physiological elevation of inflammatory and muscle damage parameters was controlled, an increase in muscle mass was obtained and dehydration associated with high-performance sports was avoided. Our results suggest that the supplementation of vitamin D, creatine, mineral salts and polyunsaturated fatty acids has positive effects on body composition and markers of muscle damage and inflammation in professional soccer players during part of a competitive season.