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Vitamin D, Muscle Function, and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in Adolescents From the Young Hearts Study
E L Carson1, L K Pourshahidi1, T R Hill1
1Northern Ireland Centre for Food and Health (E.L.C., L.K.P., J.J.S., M.S.M.), University of Ulster, Coleraine, Londonderry BT52 1SA, United Kingdom; School of Agriculture, Food and Rural Development (T.R.H.), Human Nutrition Research Centre, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU, United Kingdom; School of Food and Nutritional Sciences (K.D.C.), University College Cork, Cork, Cork, Ireland; and Cardiovascular Research Centre (C.A.B.), Queen's University, Belfast BT7 1NN, United Kingdom.
Context:
Vitamin D insufficiency is common among the adolescent population and may have implications for health outcomes in later life. Few studies have investigated the role of vitamin D status in muscle function and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) during adolescence.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to investigate the association between vitamin D status and fat-free mass (FFM), muscle strength, muscle power, and CRF in a representative sample of adolescents from Northern Ireland.
Design, Setting, And Participants:
This was a cross-sectional study involving 1015 adolescents (age 12 and 15 y), who had 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] data available as part of the Young Hearts Study 2000.
Main Outcome Measures:
The main outcome measures of this study were FFM (kg) and FFM corrected for height [fat-free mass index; FFM (kg)/height (m(2))], muscle strength (kg), peak muscle power (kW) and VO2 max (CRF; mL/kg/min).
Results:
Multinomial regression analyses, controlling for environmental and lifestyle factors, demonstrated that boys age 15 years in the highest tertile of standardized serum 25(OH)D concentration (> 51 nmol/L) had significantly higher muscle strength (β = 3.90; P ≤ .001) compared with those in the lowest tertile (< 32 nmol/L). These results were not evident in any other age-sex group and vitamin D status was not significantly associated with muscle power or CRF in any of the four age-sex groups.
Conclusion:
These results support a role for vitamin D in muscle function in adolescent males and suggest the need for more research in this vulnerable age group.
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