Whey Protein Supplementation with or without Vitamin D on Sarcopenia-Related Measures: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

2023-07
Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) 14(4)
- Nasrin Nasimi
- Zahra Sohrabi
- Everson A Nunes
- Erfan Sadeghi
- Sanaz Jamshidi
- Zohreh Gholami
- Marzieh Akbarzadeh
- Shiva Faghih
- Masoumeh Akhlaghi
- Stuart M Phillips

PubMed: 37196876
DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.05.011

Study Design

Type: Meta-Analysis
Sample size: n = 33
Population: older adults with or without sarcopenia or frailty
Methods: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

The effects of supplementation with whey protein alone or with vitamin D on sarcopenia-related outcomes in older adults are unclear. We aimed to assess the effect of whey protein supplementation alone or with vitamin D on lean mass (LM), strength, and function in older adults with or without sarcopenia or frailty. We searched PubMed, Web of Science, and SCOPUS databases. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) that investigated the effect of whey protein supplementation with or without vitamin D on sarcopenia outcomes in healthy and sarcopenic or frail older adults were included. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated for LM, muscle strength, and physical function data. The analysis showed that whey protein supplementation had no effect on LM and muscle strength; nevertheless, a significant improvement was found in physical function (SMD = 0.561; 95% confidence interval 0.865, n = 33), particularly gait speed (GS). On the contrary, whey protein supplementation significantly improved LM (SMD = 0.982; 95% CI: 0.228, 1.736; n = 11), appendicular lean mass and physical function (SMD = 1.211; 95% CI: 0.588, 1.834; n = 16), and GS in sarcopenic/frail older adults. By contrast, co-supplementation with vitamin D enhanced LM gains (SMD =0.993; 95% CI: 0.112, 1.874; n = 11), muscle strength (SMD =2.005; 95% CI: 0.975, 3.035; n = 11), and physical function (SMD = 3.038; 95% CI: 2.196, 3.879; n = 18) significantly. Muscle strength and physical function improvements after whey protein supplementation plus vitamin D were observed without resistance exercise (RE) and short study duration subgroups. Moreover, the combination of whey protein and vitamin D with RE did not enhance the effect of RE. Whey protein supplementation improved LM and function in sarcopenic/frail older adults but had no positive effect in healthy older persons. By contrast, our meta-analysis showed that co-supplementation with whey protein and vitamin D is effective, particularly in healthy older adults, which is likely owing, we propose, to the correction of vitamin D insufficiency or deficiency. The trial was registered at https://inplasy.com as INPLASY202240167.

Research Insights

Vitamin D→Improved Lean Mass
co-supplementation with vitamin D enhanced LM gains (SMD =0.993; 95% CI: 0.112, 1.874; n = 11)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Vitamin D→Improved Muscle Strength
co-supplementation with vitamin D enhanced ... muscle strength (SMD =2.005; 95% CI: 0.975, 3.035; n = 11)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Vitamin D→Improved Physical Function
co-supplementation with vitamin D enhanced ... physical function (SMD = 3.038; 95% CI: 2.196, 3.879; n = 18)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Vitamin D→Increased Lean Mass
co-supplementation with vitamin D enhanced LM gains (SMD =0.993; 95% CI: 0.112, 1.874; n = 11)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Whey Protein→Improved Gait Speed
particularly gait speed (GS). On the contrary, whey protein supplementation significantly improved LM (SMD = 0.982; 95% CI: 0.228, 1.736; n = 11), appendicular lean mass and physical function (SMD = 1.211; 95% CI: 0.588, 1.834; n = 16), and GS in sarcopenic/frail older adults.
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Whey Protein→Improved Lean Mass
co-supplementation with vitamin D enhanced LM gains (SMD =0.993; 95% CI: 0.112, 1.874; n = 11)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Whey Protein→Improved Muscle Strength
co-supplementation with vitamin D enhanced ... muscle strength (SMD =2.005; 95% CI: 0.975, 3.035; n = 11)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Whey Protein→Improved Physical Function
co-supplementation with vitamin D enhanced ... physical function (SMD = 3.038; 95% CI: 2.196, 3.879; n = 18)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Whey Protein→Increased Appendicular Lean Mass
appendicular lean mass and physical function (SMD = 1.211; 95% CI: 0.588, 1.834; n = 16)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large
Whey Protein→Increased Lean Mass
co-supplementation with vitamin D enhanced LM gains (SMD =0.993; 95% CI: 0.112, 1.874; n = 11)
Effect
Beneficial
Effect size
Large