Vitamins and Physical Fitness

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Abstract
The effects on physical fitness of supplementing the diet with vits. A, D, and C were tested over a period of 5 mo. on 69 cadets 18 to 19 yrs. old, attending a short course at Manchester Univ. After anthropometric and physical examinations they were divided into 2 groups, one of which was given a daily vit. supplement consisting of 6,000 units of vit. A, 1,000 units of vit. D, and 50 mg. of ascorbic acid, and the 2d capsules of peanut oil and tablets of citric acid. At the end of 10 wks. they were reexamined and reversed as to supplements and continued for another 11 wks. Those receiving the vit. supplements were less susceptible to minor respiratory and gastrointestinal complaints and showed a greater increase in resting vital capacity and in breath-holding and endurance times, and had a faster resting pulse rate than the control group. The reversal of the supplements was followed by a reversal in behavior in all of these items. The small number of subjects and the rather slight differences in some of the tests are offset by the homogeneity of the group and the striking manner in which the shift between the vit. and control groups in the middle of the expt. reversed the behavior. A diet containing less than the optimum amt. of a particular vit., while not producing a deficiency disease, may nevertheless give rise to a suboptimal physiological state which will only be revealed by such physiological tests.

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