A role for vitamin D in skeletal muscle

development and growth.

00:54 EST 18th December 2013 | BioPortfolio
 

Home » Citations » Journal of animal science » A role for vitamin D in skeletal muscle development and growth.

Summary of "A role for vitamin D in skeletal muscle development and growth."

Although well known for its role in bone development and

mineral homeostasis, there is emerging evidence that vitamin D
is capable of functioning as a regulator of skeletal muscle
development and hypertrophic growth. This review will focus
on the relatively limited body of evidence regarding the impact
of vitamin D on prenatal development and postnatal growth of
skeletal muscle in meat animal species. Recent evidence
indicating that improvement of maternal vitamin D status
through dietary 25-hydroxycholecalciferol supplementation can
positively affect fetal skeletal muscle fiber number and myoblast
activity in swine, as well as work demonstrating that post-hatch
vitamin D status enhancement stimulates a satellite cell-
mediated skeletal muscle hypertrophy response in broiler
chickens is discussed. The relative lack of information regarding
how and when to best supply dietary vitamin D to promote
optimal prenatal development and postnatal growth of skeletal
muscle provides an exciting field of research. Expansion of
knowledge in this area will ultimately improve our ability to
efficiently and effectively produce the livestock required to meet
the increasing world-wide demand for meat products.
Affiliation

Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, 79409.
 Journal Details

This article was published in the following journal.

Name: Journal of animal science

ISSN: 1525-3163
Pages:

Links

 PubMed Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24243904
 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2527/jas.2013-7087

Vitamin D Supplementation and

Metabolism in Vitamin D Deficient
Elderly
00:57 EST 18th December 2013 | BioPortfolio

Home » Clinical Trials » Latest Trials » Vitamin D Supplementation and Metabolism in Vitamin D Deficient Elderly

Summary
The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of
Vitamin D supplementation on the reasons (mechanisms)
underlying the development of type 2 diabetes, metabolic
syndrome (high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes,
body weight/obesity), muscle weakness and wasting
(sarcopenia), and impaired physical function (poor
balance and walking) associated with vitamin D
deficiency and osteopenia/osteoporosis (bone loss). The
investigators obtain vitamin D through our diet and
sunlight, and its conversion to active vitamins in the liver
and kidneys promotes the intestinal absorption of calcium
and regulation of bone growth. Therefore, vitamin D
deficiency has been known for years to lead to weakened
bones (osteopenia and osteoporosis). However, more
recently, studies show vitamin D deficiency is associated
with a number of other diseases, including type 2
diabetes, muscle weakness, frailty, and the metabolic
syndrome. It has also been associated with cognitive
impairment. Diabetes affects multiple organ systems
including the heart, kidneys, musculoskeletal and nervous
system. The possibility that vitamin D deficiency is linked
to the development of type 2 diabetes, metabolic
syndrome, muscle weakness and wasting (sarcopenia) and
osteopenia/osteoporosis, and that vitamin D
supplementation decreases the risk for these diseases,
provides a relatively easy/accessible and inexpensive
model of preventive therapy to decrease the incidence of
these diseases. In addition, it is likely that genetic
(inherited) factors play a role, but the relationship of these
genes to these metabolic abnormalities have not been
elucidated. Understanding the role of Vitamin D in health
will allow us to translate these findings into therapy.
Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification:

Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Factorial
Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose:
Prevention
Conditions
Vitamin D Deficiency

Intervention
RDA Vitamin D3 only, Vitamin D2/3 Repletion only,
Vitamin D2/3 Repletion + AEX, Vitamin D2/3 Repletion
+ RT

Location
Baltimore VAMC
Baltimore
Maryland
United States
21201

Status
Recruiting

Source
Baltimore VA Medical Center

Results (where available)

View Results

Links
 Source: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01145703
 Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on July 15, 2010

Vitamin D and Osteoporosis Prevention in

Elderly African American Women
00:58 EST 18th December 2013 | BioPortfolio

Home » Clinical Trials » Latest Trials » Vitamin D and Osteoporosis Prevention in Elderly African American Women

Summary
Vitamin D is a hormone that is produced when sunlight is
absorbed by the skin. Vitamin D insufficiency has been
recognized as a problem in areas where sun exposure is
limited, especially in the wintertime. In addition, the more
pigmented the skin is, the less capable it is of utilizing
sunlight to make vitamin D. Vitamin D plays an important
role in helping the body absorb calcium and in building
strong bones. It has also been shown to improve muscle
function in the elderly. As we get older, our vitamin D
levels in the blood go down and this may increase the risk
for falls and fractures. If we can improve vitamin D status
as we age, we may be able to improve muscle strength
and decrease the risk of falls and fractures.

Description
The long-term goal of this project is to develop strategies
for the prevention of osteoporotic fractures in African
Americans. Most intervention studies have excluded
African Americans because of the erroneous belief that
osteoporosis is not a major health problem in this
population. In fact, the incidence rate of hip fracture in
blacks is 50% of the rate in whites. Since longevity is
increasing in the black population, osteoporotic fractures
will become an even greater problem for this ethnic
minority in the future. Furthermore, morbidity and
mortality from osteoporotic fractures is greater in blacks.
The elderly require higher intake of vitamin D to prevent
bone loss resulting from secondary hyperparathyroidism.
Calcium with sufficient vitamin D supplementation may
decrease fractures in elderly white populations as a result
of reduction in bone loss and falls (improved physical
performance). The only fracture intervention study to
include African Americans—the Women's Health
Initiative—used an inadequate dose of vitamin D (400
IU), a dose unlikely to achieve the vitamin D status
proposed by U.S. experts: serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D
[25(OH)D] concentration above 75 nmol/L. No
calcium/vitamin D intervention studies on fall prevention
or physical performance have included African
Americans.

As a result of increased skin pigmentation, blacks

synthesize less vitamin D from sun exposure. As a result,
serum 25(OH)D levels are often in the "insufficient"
range. This is accompanied by secondary
hyperparathyroidism, but adult blacks have a relative
skeletal resistance to PTH, so that they have lower bone
turnover. They also have more efficient renal
conservation of calcium starting in childhood. Addition of
vitamin D3 to a calcium-sufficient African American
postmenopausal population does not prevent bone loss.
The calcium/vitamin D requirements of black adults may
be lower than white adults through midlife. However, the
elderly require more vitamin D to produce the higher
25(OH)D levels required to overcome the
hyperparathyroidism associated with aging. The skeleton
of elderly African Americans appears to be susceptible to
the increasing parathyroid hormone levels of old age.
Bone loss accelerates and bone turnover markers increase
in elderly African Americans just as in whites. The
specific aims of this project are to determine if dietary
supplementation with calcium/vitamin D will safely
reduce bone loss and bone turnover and improve physical
performance in elderly African Americans. We will enroll
250 African American women in a four-year vitamin D3
intervention trial where serum 25(OH)D will be
maintained at an optimum level above 75 nmol/L.
Adequate calcium intake will be ensured. Functional
markers of vitamin D including bone density, serum PTH,
and bone turnover will be measured. The NIH Conference
on Vitamin D and Health in the 21st Century, September
5-6, 2007 concluded that research in this population is a
high priority.
Study Design
Allocation: Randomized, Control: Placebo Control,
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking:
Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator, Outcomes
Assessor), Primary Purpose: Prevention

Conditions
Vitamin D

Intervention
Vitamin D 3, placebo

Location
Winthrop University Hospital
Mineola
New York
United States
11501

Status
Not yet recruiting

Source
Winthrop University Hospital

Results (where available)

 View Results

Links
 Source: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01153568
 Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on July 15, 2010

Effects of Vitamin D in Skeletal Muscle:

Falls, Strength, Athletic Performance and
Insulin Sensitivity.
00:59 EST 18th December 2013 | BioPortfolio
 

Home » Citations » Clinical endocrinology » Effects of Vitamin D in Skeletal Muscle: Falls, Strength, Athletic

Performance and Insulin Sensitivity.

Summary of "Effects of Vitamin D in Skeletal Muscle:

Falls, Strength, Athletic Performance and Insulin
Sensitivity."
Accompanying the high rates of vitamin D deficiency
observed in many countries, there is increasing interest in
the physiological functions of vitamin D. Vitamin D is
recognised to exert extra-skeletal actions in addition to its
classic roles in bone and mineral homeostasis. Here we
review the evidence for vitamin D's actions in muscle on
the basis of observational studies, clinical trials and basic
research. Numerous observational studies link vitamin D
deficiency with muscle weakness and sarcopaenia.
Randomised trials predominantly support an effect of
vitamin D supplementation and the prevention of falls in
older or institutionalised patients. Studies have also
examined the effect of vitamin D in athletic performance,
both inferentially by UV radiation and directly by vitamin
D supplementation. Effects of vitamin D in muscle
metabolic function, specifically insulin sensitivity, are
also addressed in this review. At a mechanistic level,
animal studies have evaluated the roles of vitamin D and
associated minerals, calcium and phosphate, in muscle
function. In vitro studies have identified molecular
pathways by which vitamin D regulates muscle cell
signalling and gene expression. This review evaluates
evidence for the various roles of vitamin D in skeletal
muscle and discusses controversies that have made this a
dynamic field of research. This article is protected by
copyright. All rights reserved.

Affiliation
Diabetes and Transcription Factors Group, Garvan
Institute of Medical Research (GIMR), Sydney, NSW,
Australia; Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney,
Sydney, NSW, Australia.

Journal Details
This article was published in the following journal.
 Name: Clinical endocrinology
ISSN: 1365-2265
Pages:

Links
 PubMed
Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24256495
 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cen.12368

Vitamin D 2 to Dialysis Patients

01:02 EST 18th December 2013 | BioPortfolio
 
Home » Clinical Trials » Latest Trials » Vitamin D 2 to
Dialysis Patients
Summary
Vitamin D is necessary for healthy bones. Vitamin D is
made in our skin when we are exposed to sunlight, but it
is also found in foods that we eat and in vitamin pills.
Low levels of vitamin D are common in many groups of
people, because we do not get enough sun during the
winter and because we eat few foods that have vitamin D
in them. Some foods with vitamin D are salmon,
mackerel, tuna, and fortified milk, which has had vitamin
D added to it.
We know that nearly all kidney disease patients on
dialysis do not have enough vitamin D in their bodies. We
believe this condition can cause muscle weakness, leading
to falls and broken bones. These are common problems
for patients who are receiving dialysis. For example,
dialysis patients have a much higher risk of hip fractures
(broken hips). However, no formal research has been
done on patients with low vitamin D levels receiving
dialysis, to see if they actually have muscle weakness and
related problems.

There are two goals of this study. First, we want to see if

patients on dialysis who have low vitamin D levels are
actually at risk for muscle weakness, muscle pain, and
broken bones. We also want to find out if giving vitamin
D pills to these patients will result in better muscle
strength, less muscle pain, and fewer falls.

In this study, we will compare vitamin D to placebo.

Placebo capsules look exactly like vitamin D capsules but
contain no active ingredients. We use placebos in research
studies to be sure that the study results are due to the
study drug and not to other reasons.

Description
Inclusion criteria:
Age ³ 18, CKD on hemodialysis, men and women,
hemoglobin ³ 9g/dl, albumin ³ 3.0g/dl, no recent (in the
last three months) admissions to the hospital, ability to
walk ten feet with or without a walking aid.

Exclusion criteria:

Subjects who are pregnant or lactating; subjects with

history of kidney stones, malabsorption syndromes,
tertiary hyperparathyroidism defined by a parathyroid
hormone of >500pg/ml, current use of corticosteroids,
non-ambulatory subjects (for example paraplegic
subjects), serious fracture in the last three months, and
corrected calcium levels of 10.5 mg/dl or greater.

Study Design
Allocation: Randomized, Control: Placebo Control,
Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study,
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking:
Double-Blind, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Conditions
Kidney Disease

Intervention
Ergocalciferol (Vitamin D 2)
 Status
Not yet recruiting

Source
Brigham and Women's Hospital

Results (where available)

View Results

Links
 Source: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00535158
 Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on July 15,
2010

Vitamin D and Exercise in Falls Prevention

01:03 EST 18th December 2013 | BioPortfolio
 
Home » Clinical Trials » Latest Trials » Vitamin D and
Exercise in Falls Prevention
Summary
The aim of the study is to investigate the effects of
exercise and vitamin D supplementation on reducing falls
and injuries in community-dwelling, independent-living
women aged 70-79 years of age. The investigators will
test the following hypothesis:

1. Exercise including strength, balance and mobility

training will improve muscle functioning and body
balance, and thus reduce falls by 30% compared with
non-exercisers.

2. Vitamin D intake will improve muscle functioning and

thus prevent falls by 30% compared with placebo.

3. Together vitamin D and exercise have a stronger

influence on fall prevention than either used alone.

4. Training improves mobility functions and bone health.

5. Supervised training twice a week with daily home

training will improve physical functioning thus resulting
in reduced fear of falling.

6. Reduced fear of falling and improved physical

functioning help older people to stay physically active,
which further improve their quality of life.

Description
Falls account for over 80% of all injury-related
admissions to hospital among older people. Although
there is evidence that both exercise and vitamin D
improve neuromuscular and cognitive function, and may
thus reduce the risk of falls and fractures, these two
factors have never been evaluated together in a clinical
trial. This study is a randomized 24-month intervention in
elderly women. We hypothesize that exercise and vitamin
D supplementation reduce falls and injuries including
fractures in community-dwelling, independent-living
women 70-79 years of age. The eligible participants will
be randomly assigned into one of four groups:

1. exercise with vitamin D

2. exercise with placebo

3. no exercise with vitamin D

4. no exercise with placebo. The rational of this study is

to provide important information on how to maintain and
improve physical functioning and thus prevent falls and
fractures of elderly people. In addition, if fear of falling
can be declined with this program, it will further help
elderly people to keep physically active and maintain their
functional capacity and quality of life.

Study Design
Allocation: Randomized, Control: Placebo Control,
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking:
Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator), Primary
Purpose: Prevention
 Conditions
Falls

Intervention
exercise and vitamin D supplementation, exercise and
vitamin D supplementation, exercise and vitamin D
supplementation, exercise and vitamin D supplementation

Location
University of Helsinki
Helsinki
Finland

Status
Recruiting

Source
UKK Institute

Results (where available)

View Results

Links
 Source: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00986466
 Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on July 15,
2010

Vitamin D and Physical Function in Older Adults

01:04 EST 18th December 2013 | BioPortfolio
 
Home » Clinical Trials » Latest Trials » Vitamin D and
Physical Function in Older Adults
Summary
Projections from NHANES III indicate that
approximately 12,000,000 U.S. adults ≥ 60 years of age
have vitamin D insufficiency (serum 25(OH)D < 50
nmol/L). A growing body of evidence suggests that
vitamin D status may be important in biologic processes
involved in the maintenance of physical function. To test
the hypothesis that vitamin D insufficiency is associated
with poorer muscle strength and physical performance,
we propose to evaluate the role of vitamin D status (serum
25(OH)D) on physical function and falls in the CHS All
Stars cohort, a population of advanced age. The specific
aims are as follows:

Specific Aim 1. To describe the prevalence and correlates

of vitamin D insufficiency in adults of advanced age.
Specific Aim 2. To examine the cross-sectional
association between vitamin D status and muscle strength
(leg and grip strength), physical performance (3 m/15 ft
walk time, repeated chair stands, and standing balance),
self-reported physical function (mobility, ADL and IADL
disability), and falls.

Specific Aim 3. To examine the longitudinal association

between vitamin D status at baseline and incident
disability (mobility, ADL and IADL disability) over 3
years of follow-up.

Research Hypotheses: Low vitamin D status (25(OH)D <

50 nmol/L) will be associated with (a) lower levels of
muscle strength and physical performance; (b) higher
levels of self-reported limitations in physical function and
falls; and (c) greater odds of incident disability.

Study Design
Observational Model: Cohort, Time Perspective:
Prospective

Conditions
Vitamin D

Status
Active, not recruiting
 Source
Wake Forest University

Results (where available)

View Results

Links
 Source: http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT00710957
 Information obtained from ClinicalTrials.gov on July 15,
2010