The effects of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength and mobility in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomised controlled trials

Abstract

Background The results obtained from previous trials regarding the effects of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength and mobility in postmenopausal women have been inconsistent. This systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to investigate the effect of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength and mobility in postmenopausal women. Methods A comprehensive search on EMBASE, PubMed, MEDLINE and SCOPUS was performed to identify relevant articles published up to 28 March 2019. RCTs published in English measuring the effect of all forms and doses of vitamin D supplementation with or without calcium on muscle strength and mobility outcomes in postmenopausal women were included. Results In total, 29 eligible studies were included in the systematic review. The pooled findings using a random effects model showed that vitamin D supplementation insignificantly increased hand grip strength (HGS) as the measurement of muscle strength (MD = 0.656; 95% confidence interval = −0.037 to 1.350, P = 0.06). However, it did not affect timed‐up‐and‐go (TUG) as the measurement of mobility (MD = 0.118; 95% confidence interval = −0.655 to 0.892, P = 0.76). The subgroup analyses showed that vitamin D supplementation improved HGS with respect to dosages >1000 IU day−1 (P = 0.016), a treatment duration of 3 months (P ˂ 0.001) and subjects with baseline vitamin D <30 ng mL−1 (P = 0.033). Conclusions The present review demonstrates that vitamin D supplementation resulted in small but nonsignificant improvements in muscle strength compared to control in postmenopausal women. No significant effect was observed in mobility after vitamin D administration.

Sarcopenia during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions: long-term health effects of short-term muscle loss

“…In 15 adults with thermal burns, quarterly intramuscular injections with 200,000 IU vitamin D and daily oral calcium led to a significant increase in quadriceps strength when compared to baseline values, showing a direct effect of vitamin D supplementation [ 182 ]. While a recent systematic review and meta-analysis suggested a small, non-significant ( P = 0.06) increase in muscle strength, subgroup analysis showed improvement with doses of > 1000 IU/day, > 3-month treatment duration, and in participants with a baseline vitamin D concentration of < 30 ng/mL [ 183 ]. Thus, improvements may not be seen in those individuals who have an adequate vitamin D status.…”

Del Editor sobre la Salud de la Mujer, Posibles efectos perjudiciales sobre la salud en el embarazo y la menopausia

“…There is a substantial health care burden of fracture among people under 70 or without osteoporosis, suggesting that focusing on treating people with osteoporosis is unlikely to reduce a large number of fractures in the general population (61) . On the other hand, in postmenopausal women, vitamin D supplementation resulted in small but nonsignificant improvements in muscle strength compared with controls (62) . Among healthy adults, supplementation with higher doses of vitamin D (4 000 IU per day or 10 000 IU per day, compared with 400 IU per day) did not result in improved bone health; further research would be needed to determine whether it is harmful (63) .…”

Evaluation of hemorheological parameters as biomarkers of calcium metabolism and insulin resistance in postmenopausal women

“…It is not possible for us to know whether vitamin D supplementation improve hemorheology, but if it improves, probably the best supplementation protocol should be daily, to ensure a stable vitamin D level. Currently, there are many vitamin D supplementation protocols, and these protocols are usually analyzed together in systematic reviews and meta-analysis [42,43].…”