Vitamins by Rob Skinner

Vitamins have many effects in the body and specific to athletes, they are involved in muscle contractions and energy expenditure. Elite athletes have an increased need for vitamins because of the higher stress that is placed on the body during training. The following is a list of all of the vitamins, their functions and food sources.

Water-soluble Vitamins

Vitamin	Alternate name	Function in body	Food sources
Thiamin	B₁	Aids in CHO metabolism and nervous function	Whole grain cereals, beans, pork, enriched cereals
Riboflavin	B₂	Aids in energy metabolism, protein metabolism, skin and eye health	Dairy, dark green leafy veggies, whole grain cereals, enriched grains
Vitamin B₆	Pyridoxine	Aids in CHO, fat and protein metabolism, protein synthesis	Meats, whole grain cereals, enriched cereals, eggs
Folic Acid	Folate	Aids in formation of DNA and red blood cells	Green leafy veggies, beans, whole grain cereals, enriched cereals, oranges, bananas
Vitamin B₁₂	Cobalamin	Aids in energy metabolism, protein synthesis	Animal foods, fortified cereals
Niacin	Nicotinic Acid	Aids in energy metabolism	Milk, eggs, turkey, chicken, whole grains, meat, fish
Pantothenic Acid	Pantothenate	Aids in energy metabolism	All foods except processed and refined
Biotin	None	Aids in glucose and fat synthesis	Egg yolks, legumes, dark green leafy veggies
Vitamin C	Ascorbic Acid	Aids in iron absorption, collagen synthesis	Fruits and veggies

Fat-soluble vitamins

Fat-soluble vitamins are stored in the body whereas water-soluble vitamins are not. Therefore, it is important to not take too high of a dose of fat soluble vitamins as there could be risk of toxicity and take water-soluble vitamins frequently since they are not stored and are excreted in the urine.

Vitamin	Alternate name	Function in body	Food sources
Vitamin A	Retinol	Aids in maintaining healthy cells, eyes and immune system	Liver, cheese, dark green and brightly pigmented fruits and veggies
Vitamin D	Cholecalciferol	Aids in absorption of calcium and phosphorus	Fish liver oil, eggs, canned fish, fortified milk, margarine
Vitamin K	Phylloquinone	Aids in formation of blood clots and assists with bone strengthening	Dark green leafy veggies and vegetable oils
Vitamin E	Tocopherol	Aids in antioxidant protection of cells	Poly- and monosaturated vegetable oils, margarine, fortified cereals, eggs

Rob Skinner, MS, RD, CSSD, CSCS is the Sports Dietitian with Acrobat and Combat Sports at the United State Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. For more information from the US Olympic Training Center, go to http://coachrey.com/volleyball-blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/USOC-Nutrition-Guide.pdf