Physical activity and vitamin D in children: a review of impacts on bone health and fitness
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Chandra Sekhar Devulapalli
Abstract
Objectives
This review explores the relationship between physical activity and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels in children and adolescents, highlighting the importance of vitamin D for bone health and muscle function.
Content
A narrative mini review was conducted by searching PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus for studies published from January 2000 to April 2024, focusing on children aged 5–18 years. Ten studies were reviewed, including five cross-sectional, three population-based, one longitudinal, and one randomized controlled trial. Overall, physically active children and teens were more likely to maintain sufficient 25(OH)D levels and demonstrated better physical fitness, especially in muscle strength, compared to their less active peers. One study linked higher vitamin D levels to increased bone mineral content in active adolescents, while another reported a positive connection between vitamin D and bone density. Risk factors for deficiency included limited sun exposure, low physical activity, sedentary behavior, and obesity, with the latter group being more prone to low vitamin D levels, which were negatively associated with fat mass. Interventions that increased physical activity were found to improve vitamin D levels.
Summary and Outlook
Regular physical activity, especially outdoor exercise, is associated with healthier vitamin D levels in children, supporting better bone health and physical fitness.
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Research ethics: Not applicable.
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Informed consent: Not applicable.
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Author contributions: Single author contribution. CSD contributed to the conception and design of the study, data acquisition, analysis and interpretation, drafting the article, or critically revising it for significant intellectual content, and provided final approval of the version to be published. The author has accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.
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Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: None declared.
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Conflict of interest: The author states no conflict of interest.
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Research funding: None declared.
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Data availability: Not applicable.
References
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© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Sunlight, supplements, and science: vitamin D as a tool for pediatric health care
- Mini Review
- Physical activity and vitamin D in children: a review of impacts on bone health and fitness
- Original Articles
- Association between overweight or obesity and vitamin D status in preschool children: an epidemiological survey in Beijing, China, 2021–2023
- Association between partial remission phase in type 1 diabetes and vitamin D receptor Fok1 rs2228570 polymorphism
- Optimal vitamin D status for Chinese infants in Hong Kong: insights from the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone levels
- Reviews
- The changing landscape in the evaluation of hypotonic polyuria in children and adolescents: the role of the new copeptin stimulation tests
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the self-reported Pubertal Development Scale’s applicability to children
- Original Articles
- Assessing prediabetes and cardiometabolic risk in Danish youth with obesity
- Endocrinopathies in children with inborn errors of immunity: a single-center experience
- Relationship between blood lipids and bone mineral density in healthy preschoolers: a 12-month cohort study
- The causal role of endocrine disrupting chemicals in pubertal timing: a Mendelian randomization study
- Case Reports
- Vitamin D dependent rickets type 2A: a case series of two siblings with novel mutation in vitamin D receptor gene responded to high dose oral calcium and calcitriol
- Emergence of osteolysis as a new radiological feature in a case with a novel BMP2 gene variant
- Rare case of ACTH-independent Cushing syndrome: diagnostic challenges and management
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Editorial
- Sunlight, supplements, and science: vitamin D as a tool for pediatric health care
- Mini Review
- Physical activity and vitamin D in children: a review of impacts on bone health and fitness
- Original Articles
- Association between overweight or obesity and vitamin D status in preschool children: an epidemiological survey in Beijing, China, 2021–2023
- Association between partial remission phase in type 1 diabetes and vitamin D receptor Fok1 rs2228570 polymorphism
- Optimal vitamin D status for Chinese infants in Hong Kong: insights from the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone levels
- Reviews
- The changing landscape in the evaluation of hypotonic polyuria in children and adolescents: the role of the new copeptin stimulation tests
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the self-reported Pubertal Development Scale’s applicability to children
- Original Articles
- Assessing prediabetes and cardiometabolic risk in Danish youth with obesity
- Endocrinopathies in children with inborn errors of immunity: a single-center experience
- Relationship between blood lipids and bone mineral density in healthy preschoolers: a 12-month cohort study
- The causal role of endocrine disrupting chemicals in pubertal timing: a Mendelian randomization study
- Case Reports
- Vitamin D dependent rickets type 2A: a case series of two siblings with novel mutation in vitamin D receptor gene responded to high dose oral calcium and calcitriol
- Emergence of osteolysis as a new radiological feature in a case with a novel BMP2 gene variant
- Rare case of ACTH-independent Cushing syndrome: diagnostic challenges and management
