Vitamin D added to exercise enhances physical performance of elderly women

Brazil: Exercise is a highly effective tool in elderly to slow down muscle wasting and loss of function, but sometimes they are not able to exercise enough to prevent these changes. Now, a recent study published in the Journal of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology has found that in older adults, exercise, when accompanied by vitamin D supplementation, could be beneficial for maintaining independence in daily activities and performance.

Global awareness of vitamin D deficiency and its consequences has been increasing. Vitamin D promotes muscle protein synthesis and activates calcium uptake in the sarcoplasmic reticulum, thus maintaining contractile efficiency in muscles. But there is substantial agreement that serum 25(OH)D concentrations greater than 25-30 nmol/L should be avoided for all age groups.

In general, a 25(OH)D level of less than 20 ng/mL has been associated with neuromuscular performance issues in elderly people including poor physical performance, low muscular strength, and muscle weakness, suggesting that vitamin D supplementation is beneficial for geriatric adults.

A vitamin D deficiency is linked to proximal myopathy observed by the atrophy of type II muscle fibres, which can have a negative effect on neuromuscular performance and can contribute to osteopenia and osteoporosis by increasing parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentrations and bone turnover.

In elderly, physical exercise are known to be beneficial but whether vitamin D deficiency interferes with this process remains unclear.

Also Read: Vitamin D levels increase with exercise and diet restriction without supplementation

Neide AP Nascimento, Federal University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil, and colleagues investigated the effect of 25(OH)D supplementation along with physical exercise in elderly women in an intervention study design.

The study involved an analysis of 345 geriatric women at least 60 years old who exercised regularly at the Social Service of Commerce Santana, Community Center. Out of 345 women; 146 geriatric women were in aquatic training supplemented Group (ATSG), 99 in multifunctional fitness supplemented group (MFSG), and 100 were in control supplemented group (CTSG) who had not been exercising for the last year as a control group.

The participants were asked to discontinue the use of vitamin D supplements 2 months prior to the initiation of the supplementation protocol of the study.

Each of the three groups were administered 1 cholecalciferol bottle if the participant had 25(OH)D levels below the median level. They were also instructed to consume 21,000 IU per week—4 drops per week—of cholecalciferol for 12 months.

The investigators also administered a series of physical tests for the participants, including a timed up-and-go (TUG)test, a 2-min step (2-MST), a 30-second chair stand (CS), functional reach (FRT), unipedal balance test with visual control (UB), and a portable dynamometer for the strength of hip flexors (HS). They also measured the serum 25(OH)D and intact parathyroid hormone levels at the beginning and conclusion of the 12-month study.

Also Read: Exercise and vitamin D help in reducing Risk of Heart attack and Stroke

They compared the treatments using a general linear model for repeated measures.

Key findings include:

• There was a significant increase in 25(OH)D levels in ATSG, MFSG, and CTSG.


• The relationship between 25(OH)D levels and physical exercise was significant in TUG, UB, HS, CS, and 2MST.

"We found an interaction of 25(OH)D levels with physical exercise in elderly women for maintaining independence in daily activities and performance," concluded the authors.

To read the complete study follow the link: DOI: 10.23937/2469-5858/1510061