Serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D and the risk of low muscle mass in young and middle-aged Korean adults

Abstract

Objective: Despite known benefit of vitamin D in reducing sarcopenia risk in older adults, its effect against muscle loss in young population is unknown. We aimed to examine the association of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] level and its changes over time with the risk of incident low muscle mass (LMM) in young and middle-aged adults. Design: A cohort study Methods: The study included Korean adults (median age, 36.9 years) without LMM at baseline followed up for a median of 3.9 years (maximum, 7.3 years). LMM was defined as the appendicular skeletal muscle (ASM) mass by body weight (ASM/weight) of one standard deviation below the sex-specific mean for young reference group. Cox-proportional hazard models were used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Among 192,908 individuals without LMM at baseline, 19,526 developed LMM. After adjusting for potential confounders, the multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for incident LMM comparing 25(OH)D levels of 25–<50, 50–<75, and ≥75 nmol/L to 25(OH)D <25 nmol/L were 0.93 (0.90-0.97), 0.85 (0.81-0.89), and 0.77 (0.71-0.83), respectively. The inverse association of 25(OH)D with incident LMM was consistently observed in young (aged <40 years) and older individuals (aged ≥40 years). Individuals with increased 25(OH)D levels (<50 to ≥50 nmol/L) or persistently adequate 25(OH)D levels (≥50 nmol/L) between baseline and follow-up visit had lower risk of incident LMM than those with persistently low 25(OH)D levels. Conclusions: Maintaining sufficient serum 25(OH)D could prevent unfavourable changes in muscle mass in both young and middle-aged Korean adults.

The Effect of Vitamin D Level on Parathyroid Hormone and Alkaline Phosphatase

“…Participants in this group who were treated in an unblinded fashion showed no symptom improvement when evaluated at 8 weeks or after a 1-year follow-up. A recent study from South Korea found a reduced risk of low muscle mass when serum 25-OHD levels improved from the insufficient to the acceptable range [ 19 , 20 ].…”

U-Shaped Association of Standardized Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D with Risk of Low Muscle Mass: A Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study

“…11 The maintenance of sufficient serum 25(OH)D may prevent unfavorable changes in muscle mass in both young and middle-aged Korean adults. 12 Ko et al found that the levels of 25(OH)D in men might be correlated positively with skeletal muscle mass. 13 Kim and his team revealed that regardless of obesity, subjects with sarcopenia had significantly lower vitamin D levels than those without sarcopenia.…”

“…When serum 25 (OH)D levels increased (<50-≥50 nmol/L) or were persistently adequate (50 nmol/L) between baseline and follow-up visit, young and middle-aged Korean adults were less likely to develop incident low muscle mass than those with persistently low 25(OH)D levels. 12 Additionally, among Korean women, lowering serum 25-OH-D by 10 ng/mL increased the risk of sarcopenia by 1.46-fold. 15 With this in mind, it seems plausible to show a U-shaped association between serum 25(OH)D concentration and LMM risk in the American population, given the findings presented above.…”