Can daily dark chocolate boost athletic performance?

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble, hormone-like vitamin, which means body fat acts as a "sink" by collecting it. If you're overweight or obese, you're therefore likely going to need more vitamin D than a slimmer person -- and the same holds true for people with higher body weights due to muscle mass i.e. amateur and professional athletes. It is common knowledge that obesity and physical inactivity can lead to type 2 diabetes.  But what about your impact does your levels of Vitamin D have?. The Endocrine Society, published details of a study that looked at the vitamin D levels of 118 people with a wide range of weights (from slim to morbidly obese) while taking into account whether they had diabetes.   According to the researchers people who have low levels of vitamin D are more likely to have diabetes, regardless of how much they weighed.  The researches concluded that vitamin D is associated more closely with glucose metabolism (and hence your chance of getting diabetes) than obesity! One Indian study found that vitamin D and calcium supplementation, in combination with exercise, can prevent pre-diabetes from progressing into type 2 diabetes. The study found that for every unit increase in vitamin D levels, the risk of progression to diabetes in people with pre-diabetes went down by 8 percent. In 2013 Taleai, Mohamdi and Adgi found that type 2 diabetics given 50,000 IUs of oral vitamin D3 per week for eight weeks experienced "a meaningful reduction" in fasting plasma glucose and insulin. Other research showing this link includes but is not limited to the following:

• One study involving nearly 5,680 individuals with impaired glucose tolerance showed that vitamin D supplementation increased insulin sensitivity by 54 percent (see https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9516221?dopt=Abstract)
• The mechanisms by which vitamin D reduces insulin resistance include its effect on calcium and phosphorus metabolism and by up regulating the insulin receptor gene (see >> http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cbf.951/abstract)

In 2016 scientists studied 23 children with type 1 diabetes to understand the  association between type 1 diabetes control and vitamin D deficiency.  The team found those children with healthy weight had a high incidence of low levels of vitamin D, especially if they were Caucasians. In particular, they found children who were not normally considered to be at risk for low levels of vitamin D had low levels. The researchers recommending monitoring the vitamin D levels of all children with type 1 diabetes.   Research Endocrine Society study see>> https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-02/tes-vdd021815.php Indian Study reported in Nephrology 22 June 2014 see>> http://www.nephrologynews.com/raising-low-vitamin-d-levels-lowers-risk-of-prediabetes-progressing-to-diabetes-in-study/  2013 study see >> https://dmsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1758-5996-5-8 2016 study see >> http://www.hcplive.com/medical-news/children-with-diabetes-may-lack-vitamin-d

Although we have talked in general about lots of people being low in magnesium, it begs the querstion are you low in Magnesium?  Given we can't take a test, what are the signs you can look for to see if you are low magnesium?

• Anxiety
• Times of hyperactivity
• Difficulty getting to sleep
• Difficulty staying asleep
• Muscle spams and muscle cramping
• Fibromyalgia
• Facial tics
• Eye twitches or involuntary evey movements

In clinic we often see clients who's muscles are really tight or contracted.  Without magnesium in our body our muscles would be in a constant state of contraction.  It should be noted that calcium causes our muscles to contract.  While calcium and magnesium have actions that oppose each other they function as a team.  So you must always consider your calcium levels when considering your magnesium levels. References Seelig M, Rosanoff A. The Magnesium Factor. New York: Avery Books; 2003

The first reaction when we are in pain is often to take a painkiller.  I know from experience in clinic, when that the painkiller stops working that is when our clients book a massage.  But would exerise help?  To me it is counter-intuitive to exercise when in pain so I was interested in a recent study that looked into this. A study of 176 people investigated if the standard Fustra20Neck&Back exercise programme (scroll to bottom for full details) for reducing pain and increasing fitenss of office workers with neck or lower back pain works.  All the participants sat for at least 6 hours a day at a desk and had experienced at least 2 episodes of moderate pain in the last month before the study started.  The study participants included both men and women between 30 - 50 years old.  Half were asigned to the exericse group and half to the control group.  The exercise group carried out the Fustra20Neck&Back exercise programme for 1 hour twice a week for 10 weeks. More than 90% of the particpants in the exercise group found that the intensity of the pain and fequency of the pain decreased significantly.  Improvements in neck & shoulder flexibility and quality of life were also recorded.  However there was no significant differences in lower back pain. Reference

Fustra20Neck&Back exercise programme The programme comprised a 10 minute aerobic warm-up on a cross-trainer.  Then 10 functional flexibility exercises, four strength exercises, five core exercises and a 10 minute cool down. Click below to see the 10 functional exercises for your shoulders.      

Click below to see the strenght and core exercises.