Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated With Impaired Muscle Strength And Physical Performance In Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Findings From The English Longitudinal Study Of Ageing

Abstract

Niamh Aspell,1 Eamon Laird,1 Martin Healy,2 Brain Lawlor,3 Maria O’Sullivan1 1Department of Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, Dublin 8, Ireland; 2Department of Biochemistry, St James’s Healthcare Campus, Dublin 8, Ireland; 3Department of Medical Gerontology and Institute of Neurosciences, Trinity College, Dublin, IrelandCorrespondence: Maria O’SullivanHuman Nutrition, School of Medicine, Trinity College Dublin, Trinity Centre for Health Sciences, St James’s Healthcare Campus, Dublin 8, IrelandTel [phone]Email [email protected]: Maintaining skeletal muscle function throughout life is a crucial component of successful ageing. Adequate vitamin D status may be important in preserving muscle function. We aimed to determine the association between impaired muscle function and serum vitamin D status in community-dwelling older adults. Falls were explored as a secondary aim.Methods: Data were analyzed from adults aged ≥60 years, from Wave 6 of the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA). Handgrip strength (HGS) and the short physical performance battery (SPPB) were employed as measures of muscle strength and physical function, respectively. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was assessed with concentration <30 nmol/L classed as vitamin D deficient.Results: The study comprised 4157 community-dwelling adults with a mean age of 69.8 (SD 6.9). Overall, 30.6% had low HGS and 12.7% had low SPPB (≤6). Participants with the lowest serum 25(OH)D (<30 nmol/L) had the highest prevalence of impaired muscle strength and performance (40.4% and 25.2%) compared with participants with levels ≥50 nmol/L (21.6% and 7.9%). Consistent with this, vitamin D deficiency (<30 nmol/L) was a significant determinant of low HGS (OR 1.44 [1.22, 1.71], p<0.001) and poor physical performance (OR 1.65 [1.31, 2.09], p<0.001) in the logistic regression models. Older adults partaking in regular moderate physical activity had significantly lower odds of impaired muscle strength (OR 0.65 [0.58, 0.79]) and physical function (OR 0.30 [0.24, 0.38]), p <0.001, respectively. Single or multiple falls (15.8% and 10.5% in past year) were not associated with vitamin D status.Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency was associated with impaired muscle strength and performance in a large study of community-dwelling older people. It is generally accepted that vitamin D deficiency at the <30 nmol/L cut-off should be reversed to prevent bone disease, a strategy that may also protect skeletal muscle function in ageing.Keywords: vitamin D, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, ageing, muscle function, short physical performance battery

Keywords

• Vitamin D
• 25-hydroxyvitamin D
• ageing
• muscle function
• short physical performance battery.