Author(s): YADATI, S., MCFADZEAN, E., KORGAONKAR, J., Institution: IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON, Country: UNITED KINGDOM, Abstract-ID: 1039

INTRODUCTION:
Vitamin D deficiency is common in athletic populations and has been implicated in musculoskeletal health. While its role in bone injury is well known, the association between vitamin D deficiency and soft-tissue injury remains unclear. This study aimed to systematically review and meta-analyse the association between vitamin D deficiency and the prevalence of soft-tissue injuries in athletes.
METHODS:
A systematic review was conducted in MEDLINE (OVID) and the Cochrane Library using predefined search terms related to vitamin D, athletes, and musculoskeletal injury. Observational studies comparing the prevalence of soft-tissue injuries between vitamin D-deficient and vitamin D-sufficient athletes were included. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed using inverse-variance weighting with DerSimonian–Laird estimation to calculate pooled odds ratios (ORs) in the SPSS program. Statistical heterogeneity was assessed using the I-squared and tau-squared statistics. Publication bias was evaluated through funnel plot inspection and Egger’s, Harbord’s, and Peters’ regression tests.
RESULTS:
Six studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. Vitamin D deficiency (serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D <30 ng/ml) was not significantly associated with the prevalence of soft-tissue injury when compared with vitamin D sufficiency (pooled OR = 2.63, 95% CI 0.38–18.01; p = 0.32). Substantial heterogeneity was observed across studies (I squared = 93%; tau squared = 2.63). Although most included studies reported effect estimates suggestive of increased injury prevalence among vitamin D-deficient athletes, confidence intervals were wide and inconsistent. No evidence of publication bias was identified on visual inspection or through regression-based testing.
CONCLUSION:
This meta-analysis found no statistically significant association between vitamin D deficiency and the prevalence of soft-tissue injuries in athletes. Despite a tendency toward higher injury prevalence in vitamin D-deficient groups within individual studies, the pooled findings were inconclusive and characterised by marked heterogeneity. These results conflict with aspects of the existing literature suggesting a potential relationship between low vitamin D status and musculoskeletal injury risk. The current evidence base remains limited and inconsistent, underscoring the need for larger, well-designed prospective studies to more definitively clarify the role of vitamin D status in soft-tissue injury risk among athletic populations.