Vitamin D Insufficiency Among Professional Basketball Players: A Relationship to Fracture Risk and Athletic Performance:

Background:Vitamin D is believed to play a role in influencing fracture risk and athletic performance. Insufficiency of vitamin D affects an estimated three-quarters of the United States population. Hypovitaminosis D has also been demonstrated to be quite common among professional basketball players in the National Basketball Association (NBA).Purpose:To determine whether a relationship exists between vitamin D levels and fracture risk and athletic performance (as measured by NBA draft status) among elite basketball players.Study Design:Descriptive epidemiology study.Methods:Data were obtained from the NBA regarding combine participants from 2009 through 2013. This information included vitamin D level, demographic information, fracture history, and NBA draft status. The data were analyzed to determine associations between vitamin D level and fracture risk and NBA draft status.Results:Vitamin D levels were measured for 279 players at the NBA Combine from 2009 through 2013. Vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/mL) ...