Supplementing Breakfast with a Vitamin D and Leucine–Enriched Whey Protein Medical Nutrition Drink Enhances Postprandial Muscle Protein Synthesis and Muscle Mass in Healthy Older Men
J. Nutr., published Aug23, 2017, doi: 10.3945/jn.117.252510
800 IU is a tiny amount of Vitamin D for seniors
Vitamin D Life expects that far more muscle mass would have been gained if either of the following
- Had achieved a good Vitamin D level in days, not months
with a loading dose of perhaps 300,000 IU - Had used higher daily dose of vitamin D - perhaps 5X higher = 4,000 IU
See also Vitamin D Life
- Lean body mass increased in those getting just 420 IU of vitamin D daily– RCT Dec 2019
- Muscle strength of senior women increased 25 percent with vitamin D, decreased 6 percent with placebo – Oct 2016
- Low Vitamin D breaks down muscle by interferring with protein - Editorial Nov 2013
- Vitamin D supplementation help muscles of seniors who are vitamin D deficient – meta-analysis July 2014
- Resistance exercise combined with Vitamin D is great for seniors – meta-analysis July 2017
- Muscle increased 17 percent in vitamin D insufficient elderly getting 4,000 IU for 4 months – RCT Oct 2013
- Sarcopenia (muscle loss) and Vitamin D many studies
- Added 1 lb of muscle to sarcopenia adults in 13 weeks with just 800 IU vitamin D and protein – RCT Jan 2017
Red-shaded area shows the RCT arm with both Vitamin D and Protein
Download the PDF from Vitamin D Life
Audrey Chanet1, Sjors Verlaan2,3, Jérôme Salles1, Christophe Giraudet1, Véronique Patrac1, Véronique Pidou4, Corinne Pouyet5, Nordine Hafnaoui1, Adeline Blot4, Noël Cano4,6, Nicolas Farigon6, Anke Bongers2, Marion Jourdan2, Yvette Luiking2, Stéphane Walrand1, and Yves Boirie1,6
Background: A promising strategy to help older adults preserve or build muscle mass is to optimize muscle anabolism through providing an adequate amount of high-quality protein at each meal.
Objective: This “proof of principle” study investigated the acute effect of supplementing breakfast with a vitamin D and leucine–enriched whey protein medical nutrition drink on postprandial muscle protein synthesis and longer-term effect on muscle mass in healthy older adults.
Methods: A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study was conducted in 24 healthy older men [mean ± SD: age 71 ± 4 y; body mass index (in kg/m2) 24.7 ± 2.8] between September 2012 and October 2013 at the Unit of Human Nutrition, University of Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France. Participants received a medical nutrition drink [test group; 21 g leucine-enriched whey protein, 9 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat, 800 IU cholecalciferol (vitamin D3), and 628 kJ] or a noncaloric placebo (control group) before breakfast for 6 wk. Mixed muscle protein fractional synthesis rate (FSR) was measured at week 0 in the basal and postprandial state, after study product intake with a standardized breakfast with the use of L-[2H5]-phenylalanine tracer methodology. The longer-term effect of the medical nutrition drink was evaluated by measurement of appendicular lean mass, representing skeletal muscle mass at weeks 0 and 6, by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.
Results: Postprandial FSR (0–240 min) was higher in the test group than in the control group [estimate of difference (ED): 0.022%/h; 95% CI: 0.010%/h, 0.035%/h; ANCOVA, P = 0.001].
The test group gained more appendicular lean mass than the control group after 6 wk
- (ED: 0.37 kg; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.72 kg; ANCOVA, P = 0.035),
- predominantly as leg lean mass (ED: 0.30 kg; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.57 kg; ANCOVA, P = 0.034).
Conclusions: Supplementing breakfast with a vitamin D and leucine-enriched whey protein medical nutrition drink stimulated postprandial muscle protein synthesis and increased muscle mass after 6 wk of intervention in healthy older adults and may therefore be a way to support muscle preservation in older people. This trial was registered at www.trialregister.nl as NTR3471.