A Play on Hockey & Nutrition: The Chicago Blackhawk’s Great D-Fender by Laura Elizabeth Hunter

Hi all! I won’t keep you long because you’ve got a smashing post to read here by a fabulous up-and-coming nutrition gal—Laura. I just wanted to keep you posted and let you know that next week I will have some awesome pics to share with you of my new hood in San Fran—just wait til you see the produce shops near me! In one word—okay two—uber AWESOMENESS! I’m in heaven … especially with the assortment of organic grapes I have to choose from!

Anywho, without further delay—Ms. Laura Elizabeth Hunter! Enjoy! See you next week!

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There are many ways that you can describe me. I’ll give you two easy ones; I have an aspiring career in the fields of public health & nutrition, as well as what we shall describe as “vivacious enthusiasm” for one of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) teams’, The Washington Capitals. I’m a pretty big fan of the sport of hockey in general and I first started to love and “rock the red” during my undergrad years at American University, located in Washington, DC. I didn’t think I would be praising any team BUT the Caps for victoriously exhibiting the art of “nutritious refueling” by drinking carb-packed beer out of the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, dreams of that post died with the Cap’s gut-wrenching 1^st round Stanley Cup play-offs elimination to the Montreal Canadiens.

In the end, the NHL’s top honors this season went to The Chicago Blackhawks after a 4:3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in game 6 of the final series of the play-offs. While I eventually jumped on the Hawk’s bandwagon during finals & jammed to their goal-scoring theme song, Chelsea Dagger, as the team hoisted the cup, my thoughts on their victory are best described as bittersweet. Fortunately, I found some “Comfort Food for the Capital’s Soul” in my own line of study.

http://twitpic.com/1vfs8d

The Blackhawk’s had super D-fender on their side.

Of course, I’m referring to an already well known all star in the game of nutrition; Vitamin D.

Recently, I came across a statement put out by the executive director of the the Vitamin D Council , Dr. John Jacob Cannell, citing the Chicago Blackhawks as “The First Vitamin D team in Modern Professional Sports History,”which was released slightly before the Blackhawk’s won the Stanley Cup. Linked to the article was a review of research by Cannell explaining the relationship between having adequate Vitamin D levels and enhanced athletic performance. Apparently, the Blackhawks’ team doctors exhibited stellar use of nutrition detective work and diagnostics after supplementing players with 5,000 IU***(International Units) of Vitamin D per day after blood tests revealed that the entire team was deficient in the crucial micronutrient. Whether or not an individual is deficient in the blood is determined by the amount of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), the major circulating form of vitamin D. Symptoms of deficiency are now thought by some researchers to manifest at blood levels below 50 ng/dL , while  sufficient blood levels were once thought to be between 10-40 ng/dL.

According to Harvard’s School of Public Health, “The Institute of Medicine’s recommended intake of vitamin D is 200 IU up to age 50, 400 IU between the ages of 51 and 70, and 600 IU after age 70. [This] recommendation is under review and will likely increase, since strong evidence shows optimal intakes are much higher, at least 1,000-2,000 IU for those over age 2.” For the Blackhawks, 5,000 IU was chosen as the appropriate amount of supplementation because they were deficient and research suggests that consuming up to this level is optimal for promoting health and increasing athletic performance.

Great work, Blackhawks, for being on the cutting edge of nutrition and scientific research!

Vitamin D levels are determined by food intake (good sources include: fortified milk, eggs, & mushrooms; oily fish), sun exposure, and supplements. Cannell cites that athletes are at particular risk for deficiency due to prolonged amounts of time spent indoor arenas. It doesn’t take a genius to come to the conclusion that ice and sunlight don’t mix, thus making Vitamin D deficiency particularly a concern for hockey players (just think of Capitals’ star defenseman Mike Green and & that Geico commercial …he was on the ice the WHOLE TIME).

Vitamins D has been traditionally viewed as calcium’s tag-team partner in the process of bone mineralization. It is now seen as being a power player in promoting health beyond the bones. New lines of evidence that suggest that vitamin D plays a role as an anti-carcinogen, aids the body in fighting infections, stimulates wound healing, bolsters the immune system, hinders cognitive degeneration, and promotes cardiovascular health. These are all things you want to run smoothly, especially when your job description includes hooking, slashing, body-checking, penalty kills, and (my personal favorite) dropping the gloves & fisticuffs (hey, it’s in the name…).

Going into D—Deeper

Let’s get further into the why the Blackhawk’s newly acquired man on D-fense was possibly so critical to this season’s victory.

Cannell has reviewed much of the new lines of evidence suggesting that maintenance of the suggested vitamin D levels is crucial for enhancing athletic performance and keeping players on top of their game. In short, this is due to Vitamin D’s reported ability to:

-Increase speed

-Improve balance

-Improve a reaction time

-Increase both muscle mass & strength

-Promote the treatment & prevention of chronic neuromuscular injuries

I myself have never hit the ice in a hockey game (the results would be terrifying), but my panel of hockey expertise agreed with me that these are all crucial to the sport that requires incredible amounts of endurance, precision, power, and agility. Cannell credits Vitamin D’s role in athletic performance due to the fact that it acts as a natural steroid hormone (no, not THOSE steroids) in the body, known as a secosteroid, which functions similarly to the sex hormone testosterone in the body in terms of promoting wrought muscle mass, raging manliness, and the bane of feminine existence (but I have to give both +’s & –’s to both “steroid hormones.”)

In conclusion

I am impressed by the Chicago Blackhawks’ supposed use of an unconventional approach to improving athletic performance based on evidence that the team was deficient in a vitamin that is both critical to health as well as athletic performance. Do I think it’s the only reason the Blackhawk’s success this season? Absolutely not; but I study public health and nutrition, so this is the only one I can actually understand. Cannell states himself that athletic performance depends on “innate ability, training, and dedication,” and I’m pretty sure both players and coaches of the NHL more or less have that covered. But the discussed benefits of having good vitamin D levels might just give a hockey team that extra boost in regard to charging the net, turning a goalie into a brick wall, improving the efficiency of shots on goal, boosting bone crunching & blood spillage, amping up the power-play, and OF COURSE STRIKING FEAR IN THE HEART OF THE OPPONENT!

Did I forget to mention riotous playoff beards & mullet growth?…oh that too;)

Just for fun: If you had to pick one of the following foods to get all of your Vitamin D from, which would it be? Cod liver oil, mushrooms, or salmon???

Check out The ODS’s Fact Sheet OR Harvard’s Nutrition Source for more info on Vitamin D

***Please note that even though the Blackhawks took 5,000 IU of Vitamin D, I am not implying that you should lace up your skates and do the same. We have safety issues to consider here! In extremely high doses, hundreds of thousands of IUs or more, Vitamin D can be toxic. You must talk with your doctor before increasing consumption of Vitamin D.” For the average adult, new research suggests that optimal intake is much higher than the DRIs. According to Harvard’s School of Public Health, “taking up to 2,000 IU per day as a supplement is safe. Some people may need 3,000 or 4,000 IU per day for adequate blood levels, particularly if they have darker skin, spend winters at higher latitudes (such as the northern U.S.), or have little exposure to direct sunlight. If you fall into one of these groups, ask your doctor to order a vitamin D blood test.”***

Laura is extremely thankful to Corinne for giving her the opportunity to guest post on Green Grapes Blogs, one of her favorite nutrition blogs! Laura entered the blogosphere herself last year as a guest-blogger for Elite Nutrition DC. She is a 2009 graduate of Washington, DC’s American University and returned home to New York’s Capital Region this year to pursue a Masters in Public Health & Dietetic Studies. Laura would like to focus her studies on food toxicology and safety, but she also has a personal interest in sports & performance nutrition. She is a passionate advocate for the National Eating Disorder’s Association and shared her story and insights on improving body image for the first time this year as a featured speaker for events in honor of 2010’s NEDA’s Awareness Week. Aside from promoting health & watching hockey games (interchangeable, right? lol), Laura loves spending time with her friends, family, flashcards, and the occasional glass of red wine. She is an avid art, opera, shopping, fitness, food, history, and travel enthusiast.

If you have any questions or comments, you can reach Laura at lauraelizabeth.hunter@gmail.com