Review of studies · Supplements / medicine · 6 Nov 2026
Across 9 studies and 312 football players, vitamin D supplements raised vitamin D levels and did not clearly improve performance
Source: PLOS One
What the research found
PLOS One published a systematic review and meta-analysis on 6 November 2026. Gu, Zhang, and Xiao at Qilu Medical University pooled controlled studies of vitamin D supplements in association football and futsal players, searched through 31 May 2026. Eleven reports from 9 independent studies covered 312 players. In the randomized trials, supplements were linked with higher circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (Hedges g 1.41, 95 percent CI 0.90 to 1.92). Pooled effects were not statistically clear for jump performance (g 0.21, 95 percent CI -0.10 to 0.53), sprint performance (g -0.03, 95 percent CI -0.40 to 0.34), aerobic capacity (g 0.00, 95 percent CI -0.45 to 0.45), or muscular performance (g 0.19, 95 percent CI -0.14 to 0.51). Certainty was low for the vitamin D level, jumps, and muscular performance, and very low for sprints and aerobic capacity. The abstract does not give ages or a sex split. This is not evidence that a vitamin D pill makes a player faster or stronger. DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0362552. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Review of studies. This is among the stronger kinds of evidence, but one study rarely settles a question.
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