Vitamin D Supplementation and Nordic Walking Training Decreases Serum Homocysteine and Ferritin in Elderly Women

Abstract

The aim of the study was to verify if coupling 12 weeks of vitamin D supplementation and Nordic walking training favoured lowering the homocysteine (Hcy) level. Ninety-four elderly women were divided into three groups: Nordic walking (NW), supplemented (SG) and control (CG). The NW and SG groups received a weekly dose of 28,000 IU of vitamin D3. A blood analysis was performed at baseline, 1h after the first training session and at the end of the experiment. The amino acid profile (methionine and cysteine) and homocysteine concentration were determined. Additionally, the concentration of myokine was assessed. The first session of NW training reduced serum homocysteine, particularly among women with baseline homocysteine above 10 µmol·L−1: 12.37 ± 2.75 vs. 10.95 ± 3.94 µmol·L−1 (p = 0.05). These changes were accompanied by shifts in the cysteine (p = 0.09) and methionine (p = 0.01) concentration, regardless of the Hcy concentration. Twelve weeks of training significantly decreased the homocysteine (9.91 ± 2.78, vs. 8.90 ± 3.14 µmol·L−1, p = 0.05) and ferritin (94.23 ± 62.49 vs. 73.15 ± 47.04 ng·mL−1, p = 0.05) concentrations in whole NW group. Also, in the NW group, ferritin correlated with the glucose level (r = 0.51, p = 0.00). No changes in the myokine levels were observed after the intervention. Only the brain-derived neurotrophic factor dropped in the NW (42.74 ± 19.92 vs. 31.93 ± 15.91 ng·mL−1, p = 0.01) and SG (37.75 ± 8.08 vs. 16.94 ± 12.78 ng·mL−1, p = 0.00) groups. This study presents a parallel decrease of homocysteine and ferritin in response to regular training supported by vitamin D supplementation.

The Effects of Nordic Walking With Poles With an Integrated Resistance Shock Absorber on Cognitive Abilities and Cardiopulmonary Efficiency in Postmenopausal Women

“…In subjects from the NW group, there was a significant decrease in BDNF concentrations after 8 weeks of training. This finding corresponds well with that received after 12 weeks of NW training in elderly women (Walentukiewicz et al, 2018). Unlike the NW group, the upward trend in BDNF concentrations in the NW with RSA group observed in our study is difficult to explain, especially since no reports of this type of training are available.…”

“…On the other hand, there is evidence of a post-workout decrease in BDNF concentrations in response to diverse training programs (Correia et al, 2010;Walentukiewicz et al, 2018). In our study concerning post-workout changes in BDNF blood levels in the women examined, the different effects of training loads were demonstrated.…”

The effect of vitamin D supplementation on hemoglobin concentration: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Cholecalciferol was the main form of vitamin D that were supplemented in these studies. The duration of supplementation with vitamin D also varied from 3 h to 6 months [40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53].…”

“…Different types of vitamin D were used in these studies, four studies received vitamin D fortified food with cholecalciferol [40,[46][47][48], eight studies received oral vitamin D (cholecalciferol) supplements [42,44,45,[49][50][51][52][53] and in one study subjects were supplemented with ergocalciferol and another one with calcitriol [41,43]. The minimum vitamin D dosage was 20 IU and maximum was 500,000 IU according to these studies ( Table 1).…”

Vitamin D3 reduces risk of cardiovascular and liver diseases by lowering homocysteine levels: double-blinded, randomised, placebo-controlled trial

“…Moreover, it has been noted that lower levels of 25(OH)D have been associated with increased CRP and Hcy levels as both known as independent risk factors for CVD (30) . A recent study examined the effect of vitamin D supplementation for 12 weeks along with Nordic walking training among elderly women and found that vitamin D along with training helps in reducing the concentrations of CRP and Hcy (40) . The results of the present study agreed with our findings, although their study conducted on elderly women and they combined vitamin D supplementation with walking training.…”