Vitamin D insufficiency is a global health concern and low vitamin D status is regularly associated with reduced muscle mass and sarcopenia in observational research. Recent research using Mendelian randomization (MR) has highlighted the potentially causal positive effect of serum vitamin D (25(OH)D) on total, trunk and upper body appendicular fat-free mass (FFM). However, no such effect was found in lower body FFM, a result that mirrors the outcomes of some vitamin D intervention studies. Here we review the current literature on vitamin D, muscle mass and strength and discuss some potential mechanisms for the differing effects of vitamin D on upper and lower body FFM. In particular, differences in distribution of the vitamin D receptor as well as androgen receptors, in the upper and lower body musculature, will be discussed.
CITATION STYLE
Kirwan, R. (2023). Differential effects of vitamin D on upper and lower body fat-free mass: potential mechanisms. Molecular Biology Reports, 50(1), 883–888. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-022-07998-7
Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.