Current Research on Vitamin D Supplementation against Sarcopenia: A Review of Clinical Trials
Int J Sports Med DOI: 10.1055/a-2116-9240Vitamin D plays an important role in skeletal muscle function and metabolism. The
aim of this review was A) to discuss the clinical evidence of vitamin D
supplementation either alone or combined with other strategies in the prevention
of sarcopenia in non-sarcopenic individuals and B) to critically discuss the
clinical evidence on the effect of vitamin D combined with other strategies on
muscle strength, mass and function in sarcopenic individuals without vitamin D
deficiency. Sparse clinical data on non-sarcopenic individuals indicate that
vitamin D alone has a subtle beneficial effect on knee extensor strength at
doses 880–1600 IU/day without improving handgrip strength or
muscle mass. When co-administered with other supplements such as protein, mixed
effects appear to prevent the decline of muscle mass, possibly delaying the
onset of sarcopenia in non-sarcopenic individuals, at doses of 800–1,000
IU/day over 6–12 weeks. In sarcopenic individuals, vitamin D
100–1,000 IU/day co-supplementation with protein results in
increased handgrip strength between 9.8–40.5%. However, there is
no strong clinical evidence that vitamin D dosage correlates with changes in
muscle strength or mass. Potential sources of discrepancy among studies are
discussed. Future studies w...
Source: International Journal of Sports Medicine - Category: Sports Medicine Authors: Kressel, Heidi Matsakas, Antonios Tags: Review Source Type: research