Young female athletes could have yet another reason to get plenty of vitamin D. The importance of vitamin D for calcium absorption and host of other health needs is well documented, now, according to a new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, researcher finds that teenage girls with higher vitamin D levels may help improve athletic performance over their peers with lower levels of vitamin D.

Researchers collected vitamin D levels for 99 girls, ages 12 to 14. To test the girls’ muscle function, the girls were instructed to jump as high as possible while researchers used a device designed to measure power and performance called jumping mechanography. After controlling for differences in the girls’ body weight, the girls with the highest vitamin D levels had the highest jump speeds, jump height, power and force.

This potential muscle advantage adds to the growing list of evidence positioning vitamin D as a super nutrient. Well known for its role in keeping bones strong, vitamin D is now being hailed for so much more. Emerging science suggests vitamin D may also help protect against diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and certain cancers. It may also support a healthy immune system to ward off infections, and some preliminary evidence suggests it may affect longevity.

Yet despite a potential upside of boosting vitamin D levels, Americans of all ages still fall short of their vitamin D needs. Even in this study with demonstrated muscle benefits, overall, the girls’ vitamin D levels were far less than ideal – a finding consistent with numerous studies indicating a resurgence in vitamin D deficiencies in adolescence. In fact, current deficiency levels prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics to double the vitamin D recommendations for children and teens to 400 IU daily. The Academy estimates that up to half of adolescents have low vitamin D levels.