VITAMIN D BUILDS MUSCLE AND STRENGTH IN OLDER MEN
“CHARLES ATLAS”, REAL NAME: ANGELO SICILIANO
I have read so many articles and studies about Vitamin D in the last decade that I am ready to call them all fake and a result of a conspiracy by some hidden pharmaceutical company!
The last one, shown to me by a friend and colleague, was a monster study that essentially declares that Vitamin D will make old men stronger and more muscular.
I am placing the entire quoted study on this page with some comments below the study.
Here it is:
Effect of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength, gait and balance in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis
BY Muir SW, Montero-Odasso M.
Source
Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Medicine, Parkwood Hospital, University of Western Ontario.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
To systematically review and quantitatively synthesize the effect of vitamin D supplementation on muscle strength, gait, and balance in older adults.
DESIGN:
Systematic review and meta-analysis.
SETTING:
MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, bibliographies of selected articles, and previous systematic reviews were searched between January 1980 and November 2010 for eligible articles.
PARTICIPANTS:
Older adults (≥60) participating in randomized controlled trials of the effect of supplemental vitamin D without an exercise intervention on muscle strength, gait, and balance.
MEASUREMENTS:
Data were independently extracted, and study quality was evaluated. Meta-analysis using a fixed-effects model was performed and the I(2) statistic was used to assess heterogeneity.
RESULTS:
Of 714 potentially relevant articles, 13 met the inclusion criteria.
In the pooled analysis, vitamin D supplementation yielded a standardized mean difference of -0.20 (95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.39 to -0.01, P = .04, I(2) = 0%) for reduced postural sway, -0.19 (95% CI = -0.35 to -0.02, P = .03, I(2) = 0%) for decreased time to complete the Timed Up and Go Test, and 0.05 (95% CI = -0.11 to 0.20, P = .04, I(2) = 0%) for lower extremity strength gain.
Regarding dosing frequency regimen, only one study demonstrated a beneficial effect on balance with a single large dose.
All studies with daily doses of 800 IU or more demonstrated beneficial effects on balance and muscle strength.
CONCLUSION:
Supplemental vitamin D with daily doses of 800 to 1,000 IU consistently demonstrated beneficial effects on strength and balance. An effect on gait was not demonstrated, although further evaluation is recommended.
Dr. Pinna says:
For the lay reader who doesn’t regularly read scientific literature, let me offer a simplified explanation.
This report is a “Meta-analysis.”
That means the writers looked at many primary studies. They did not work with patients. They simply went on the Internet and copied other studies that had been done by other people.
Then, using statistical analysis, they abstracted the results. They added all the results, subtracted the negative from the positive and have reported the end result.
Since this is a “meta-analysis” it carries more weight than a single study. Why? There are more than one study.
Their ultimate findings showed that elderly men who took at least 800 to 1,000 units of Vitamin D daily developed larger muscles than the same type of men who did not.
CONCLUSION
We know that Vitamin D is a form of a hormone. It is not just a vitamin!
We know also that “Growth Hormone” will also allow older men to add muscle when they exercise.
Somehow, Vitamin D and Growth Hormone are working together.
If we look at Africans who are exposed to the sun more than their northern counterparts, and, therefore have more vitamin D in their systems, we can see that their musculature is generally larger.
I know of no study that has made this comparison.
But, if it is true, it is more evidence that Vitamin D is a stimulator of Growth Hormone.
From the point of view of evolution, humans who were evolving without clothing had much more vitamin D in their blood than modern humans.
They needed that extra muscle to survive.
Therefore, this Meta-Analysis is most likely true.
As for me??? I just bought my bottle of Vitamin D, 5000 units per capsule, and from on I will take it daily!
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