Low vitamin D status is associated with reduced muscle mass and impaired physical performance in frail elderly people

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition 2013-10, Vol.67 (10), p.1050-1055
• Main Authors: Tieland, M, Brouwer-Brolsma, E M, Nienaber-Rousseau, C, van Loon, L J C, De Groot, L C P G M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 25-Hydroxyvitamin D; 631/443/810; 692/700/1518; 692/700/2814; Accelerometers; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Body Composition; Calciferol; calcium; Clinical Nutrition; Cross-Sectional Studies; determinants; Diet; Dietary intake; Dietary supplements; Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; Epidemiology; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Food and nutrition; Food intake; Frail Elderly; Frailty; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Internal Medicine; Liquid chromatography; Male; Mass spectrometry; Mass spectroscopy; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Muscle Strength; Muscle weakness; Muscle, Skeletal; Muscles; Muscular system; Netherlands; nursing-home residents; older men; Older people; original-article; parathyroid-hormone levels; Physical activity; Physical Fitness; Physiological aspects; population; Public Health; randomized controlled-trial; Risk factors; Sarcopenia; Sarcopenia - blood; Sarcopenia - etiology; strength; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - analogs & derivatives; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D deficiency; Vitamin D Deficiency - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - complications; women
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2013.144

Background/Objectives: Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) status has been associated with muscle mass, strength and physical performance in healthy elderly people. Yet, in pre-frail and frail elderly people this association has not been studied. The objective of this study was to explore the association between vitamin D intake and serum 25(OH)D status with muscle mass, strength and physical performance in a pre-frail and frail elderly population. Subjects/Methods: This cross-sectional study included 127 pre-frail and frail elderly people in The Netherlands. Whole body and appendicular lean mass (ALM) (dual energy X-ray absorptiometry), leg strength (one repetition maximum), handgrip strength and physical performance (short physical performance battery) were measured, and blood samples were collected for the assessment of serum 25(OH)D status (liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry). In addition, habitual dietary intake (3-day food records) and physical activity data (accelerometers) were collected. Results: In total, 53% of the participants had a serum 25(OH)D level below 50 nmol/l. After adjustment for confounding factors, 25(OH)D status was associated with ALM ( β =0.012, P =0.05) and with physical performance ( β =0.020, P