Dancer with a [Vitamin] D: Bone Health, Immunity, and Winter Performance

Melissa
Jan 25
3 min read

Why Vitamin D Matters in Dance

Vitamin D plays an essential role in:

bone health
muscle function
immune support

For dancers, this matters not only for day-to-day performance — but for injury prevention and career longevity. Dance places repeated stress on the skeletal system through jumping, landing, and high training volume. Vitamin D helps support the systems that allow the body to adapt to this stress over time.

Why Winter Is a Risk Window

Vitamin D is synthesized in the skin through exposure to sunlight. During winter months, several factors make adequate vitamin D harder to maintain:

sunlight is limited
Class, rehearsals, and performances are primarily indoors
geographic affects sun intensity and duration

As a result, many dancers enter audition and performance season with low vitamin D stores — often without realizing it. This doesn’t mean anything is “wrong.” It just means winter is a predictable time when intentional support may be needed.

Signs Vitamin D Might Be Low

Vitamin D deficiency can be subtle. Some dancers report:

frequent illness
bone or joint discomfort
lingering soreness
slower recovery

Like iron deficiency, these symptoms overlap with many other training stressors — including high workload, under-fueling, or inadequate recovery. That’s why context and testing matter, rather than assuming a single cause.

Vitamin D and Bone Health in Dancers

Vitamin D helps regulate calcium absorption, making it critical for:

Maintaining bone density
Reducing stress fracture prevention
Supporting skeletal resilience

For dancers navigating high-impact or repetitive loading, this support is foundational — especially during intense training, audition, or performance seasons. Bone health isn’t built in a single season. It’s supported through consistent nutrition, adequate energy intake, and recovery over time.

Food Sources of Vitamin D

Dietary vitamin D sources are relatively limited, but include:

fatty fish (salmon, sardines)
egg yolks
fortified dairy or plant-based milks

Because intake from food alone can be low, some dancers may require supplementation — but not automatically. Food patterns, training load, season, and individual needs all must be considered when deciding next steps (and working with your licensed nutritionist can also help!).