The Role of Vitamin D in Muscle Damage and Recovery Following Exercise: A Narrative Review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12775/QS.2026.73.75395Keywords
vitamin D, exercise-induced muscle damage, muscle recovery, inflammation, delayed-onset muscle soreness, skeletal muscleAbstract
Background: Exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is characterized by transient strength loss, muscle soreness, inflammation, and increases in circulating muscle-derived markers. Vitamin D may influence skeletal muscle recovery through effects on vitamin D receptor signaling, calcium handling, mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, inflammatory pathways, and satellite-cell activity.
Aim: This narrative review aimed to evaluate the relationship between vitamin D status or supplementation and recovery from EIMD, with particular emphasis on biochemical markers, inflammatory responses, delayed-onset muscle soreness, and restoration of muscle function.
Material and Methods: A structured literature search was conducted in PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science up to 14 July 2026. Human observational and intervention studies involving healthy adults, physically active individuals, and athletes were prioritized. Preclinical studies were included only to explain potential mechanisms. The evidence was synthesized narratively according to biochemical, inflammatory, subjective, and functional outcomes.
Results: Higher baseline 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and vitamin D₃ supplementation were associated with improved recovery of muscle strength in several small studies. However, findings concerning creatine kinase, lactate dehydrogenase, myoglobin, inflammatory mediators, and muscle soreness were inconsistent. Effects appeared to vary according to baseline vitamin D status, vitamin D form, dose, supplementation duration, exercise protocol, training status, season, and timing of assessment.
Conclusions: Vitamin D may support selected aspects of post-exercise recovery, particularly restoration of muscle strength, but current evidence does not justify its use as a universal recovery-enhancing supplement. Further well-designed randomized trials are required.
References
1. Clarkson PM, Hubal MJ. Exercise-induced muscle damage in humans. Am J Phys Med Rehabil. 2002;81(11 Suppl):S52-S69. doi: 10.1097/00002060-200211001-00007
2. Peake JM, Neubauer O, Della Gatta PA, Nosaka K. Muscle damage and inflammation during recovery from exercise. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2017;122(3):559-570. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00971.2016
3. Latham CM, Brightwell CR, Keeble AR, Munson BD, Thomas NT, Zagzoog AM, et al. Vitamin D promotes skeletal muscle regeneration and mitochondrial health. Front Physiol. 2021;12:660498. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.660498
4. Alfaqih MS, Tarawan VM, Sylviana N, Goenawan H, Lesmana R, Susianti. Effects of vitamin D on satellite cells: a systematic review of in vivo studies. Nutrients. 2022;14(21):4558. doi: 10.3390/nu14214558
5. Harju T, Gray B, Mavroeidi A, Farooq A, Reilly JJ. Prevalence and novel risk factors for vitamin D insufficiency in elite athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur J Nutr. 2022;61(8):3857-3871. doi: 10.1007/s00394-022-02967-z
6. Barker T, Schneider ED, Dixon BM, Henriksen VT, Weaver LK. Supplemental vitamin D enhances the recovery in peak isometric force shortly after intense exercise. Nutr Metab (Lond). 2013;10:69. doi: 10.1186/1743-7075-10-69
7. Bello HJ, Caballero-García A, Pérez-Valdecantos D, Roche E, Noriega DC, Córdova-Martínez A. Effects of vitamin D in post-exercise muscle recovery: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2021;13(11):4013. doi: 10.3390/nu13114013
8. Rojano-Ortega D, Berral-de la Rosa FJ. Effects of vitamin D supplementation on muscle function and recovery after exercise-induced muscle damage: a systematic review. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2023;36(3):1068-1078. doi: 10.1111/jhn.13084
9. Fridén J, Sjöström M, Ekblom B. Myofibrillar damage following intense eccentric exercise in man. Int J Sports Med. 1983;4(3):170-176. doi: 10.1055/s-2008-1026030
10. Paulsen G, Crameri R, Benestad HB, Fjeld JG, Mørkrid L, Hallén J, et al. Time course of leukocyte accumulation in human muscle after eccentric exercise. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2010;42(1):75-85. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181ac7adb
11. Kanda K, Sugama K, Hayashida H, Sakuma J, Kawakami Y, Miura S, et al. Eccentric exercise-induced delayed-onset muscle soreness and changes in markers of muscle damage and inflammation. Exerc Immunol Rev. 2013;19:72-85.
12. Cleak MJ, Eston RG. Muscle soreness, swelling, stiffness and strength loss after intense eccentric exercise. Br J Sports Med. 1992;26(4):267-272. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.26.4.267
13. Nosaka K, Newton M, Sacco P. Delayed-onset muscle soreness does not reflect the magnitude of eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2002;12(6):337-346. doi: 10.1034/j.1600-0838.2002.10178.x
14. Manfredi TG, Fielding RA, O’Reilly KP, Meredith CN, Lee HY, Evans WJ. Plasma creatine kinase activity and exercise-induced muscle damage in older men. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1991;23(9):1028-1034.
15.Hyldahl RD, Olson T, Welling T, Groscost L, Parcell AC. Satellite cell activity is differentially affected by contraction mode in human muscle following a work-matched bout of exercise. Front Physiol. 2014;5:485. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2014.00485
16. Nosaka K, Sakamoto K, Newton M, Sacco P. The repeated bout effect of reduced-load eccentric exercise on elbow flexor muscle damage. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2001;85(1-2):34-40. doi: 10.1007/s004210100430
17. Montenegro KR, Cruzat V, Carlessi R, Newsholme P. Mechanisms of vitamin D action in skeletal muscle. Nutr Res Rev. 2019;32(2):192-204. doi: 10.1017/S0954422419000064
18. Bollen SE, Atherton PJ. Myogenic, genomic and non-genomic influences of the vitamin D axis in skeletal muscle. Cell Biochem Funct. 2021;39(1):48-59. doi: 10.1002/cbf.3595
19. Boland RL. VDR activation of intracellular signaling pathways in skeletal muscle. Mol Cell Endocrinol. 2011;347(1-2):11-16. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2011.05.021
20. Ryan ZC, Craig TA, Folmes CD, Wang X, Lanza IR, Schaible NS, et al. 1α,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 regulates mitochondrial oxygen consumption and dynamics in human skeletal muscle cells. J Biol Chem. 2016;291(3):1514-1528. doi: 10.1074/jbc.M115.684399
21. Pojednic RM, Ceglia L, Lichtenstein AH, Dawson-Hughes B, Fielding RA. Vitamin D receptor protein is associated with interleukin-6 in human skeletal muscle. Endocrine. 2015;49(2):512-520. doi: 10.1007/s12020-014-0505-6
22. Olsson K, Saini A, Strömberg A, Alam S, Lilja M, Rullman E, et al. Evidence for vitamin D receptor expression and direct effects of 1α,25(OH)2D3 in human skeletal muscle precursor cells. Endocrinology. 2016;157(1):98-111. doi: 10.1210/en.2015-1685
23. Barker T, Henriksen VT, Martins TB, Hill HR, Kjeldsberg CR, Schneider ED, et al. Higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations associate with a faster recovery of skeletal muscle strength after muscular injury. Nutrients. 2013;5(4):1253-1275. doi: 10.3390/nu5041253
24. Owens DJ, Sharples AP, Polydorou I, Alwan N, Donovan T, Tang J, et al. A systems-based investigation into vitamin D and skeletal muscle repair, regeneration, and hypertrophy. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2015;309(12):E1019-E1031. doi: 10.1152/ajpendo.00375.2015
25. Żebrowska A, Sadowska-Krępa E, Stanula A, Waśkiewicz Z, Łakomy O, Bezuglov E, et al. The effect of vitamin D supplementation on serum total 25(OH) levels and biochemical markers of skeletal muscles in runners. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2020;17:18. doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-00347-8
26. Pilch W, Kita B, Piotrowska A, Tota Ł, Maciejczyk M, Czerwińska-Ledwig O, et al. The effect of vitamin D supplementation on the muscle damage after eccentric exercise in young men: a randomized, control trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2020;17:53. doi: 10.1186/s12970-020-00386-1
27. Parsaie N, Ghavamzadeh S, Cheraghi M. Effects of cholecalciferol supplementation on inflammatory markers and muscle damage indices of soccer players after a simulated soccer match. Nutrition. 2019;59:37-43. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2018.06.028
28. Ashtary-Larky D, Kheirollah A, Bagheri R, Ghanavati M, Asbaghi O, Tinsley GM, et al. A single injection of vitamin D3 improves insulin sensitivity and β-cell function but not muscle damage or the inflammatory and cardiovascular responses to an acute bout of resistance exercise in vitamin D-deficient resistance-trained males. Br J Nutr. 2020;123(4):394-401. doi: 10.1017/S0007114519002770
29. Nieman DC, Gillitt ND, Shanely RA, Dew D, Meaney MP, Luo B. Vitamin D2 supplementation amplifies eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage in NASCAR pit crew athletes. Nutrients. 2014;6(1):63-75. doi: 10.3390/nu6010063
30. Krzywański J, Mikulski T, Krysztofiak H, Młyńczak M, Gaczyńska E, Ziemba A. Seasonal vitamin D status in Polish elite athletes in relation to sun exposure and oral supplementation. PLoS One. 2016;11(10):e0164395. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0164395
31. Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: nutrition and athletic performance. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2016;116(3):501-528. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2015.12.006
32. Jäger R, Kerksick CM, Campbell BI, Cribb PJ, Wells SD, Skwiat TM, et al. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: protein and exercise. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017;14:20. doi: 10.1186/s12970-017-0177-8
33. Walsh NP, Halson SL, Sargent C, Roach GD, Nédélec M, Gupta L, et al. Sleep and the athlete: narrative review and 2021 expert consensus recommendations. Br J Sports Med. 2021;55(7):356-368. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2020-102025
34. Soligard T, Schwellnus M, Alonso JM, Bahr R, Clarsen B, Dijkstra HP, et al. How much is too much? Part 1: International Olympic Committee consensus statement on load in sport and risk of injury. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(17):1030-1041. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2016-096581
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Szymon Daniszewski, Izabela Czerny, Roksana Milaniuk, Aleksandra Drzewiecka, Krzysztof Talarowski, Beata Surówka, Wioleta Pluta, Piotr Tylec, Arkadiusz Ściubak, Jakub Bryl, Aleksandra Pacek
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Stats
Number of views and downloads: 20
Number of citations: 0
