Sarcopenia: prevelance and its relation to Vitamin D in elderly females

Abstract

Sarcopenia, the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass and function, recognized as a major clinical problem for older people. This is due to the fact that sarcopenia is both common and associated with serious health consequences in terms of frailty, disability, morbidity and mortality. Sarcopenia is associated with major co-morbidity such as obesity, osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes. But perhaps the most powerful indication that the loss of skeletal muscle, in particular strength, is important comes from the evidence that it predicts future mortality in middle-aged as well as older adult. Vitamin D deficiency is increasingly being recognized as a worldwide epidemic. With the most common cause of vitamin D deficiency being inadequate sunlight exposure, it is not surprising that higher latitude countries have a high incidence of deficiency Vitamin D plays an important role in skeletal muscle tissue by maintaining the function of type II fibers, preserving muscle strength and preventing falls. Older adults are at increased risk of vitamin D insufficiency due to various factors. As people age, the skin’s ability to synthesize vitamin D efficiently is reduced, and the kidney is less able to convert vitamin D to its active form; in addition, inadequate sunlight exposure which is essential for vitamin D synthesis and low consumption of dietary vitamin D are common among the elderly. Vitamin D plays an important role in muscle function through its regulation of calcium transport, uptake of inorganic phosphate for the production of energy-rich phosphate compounds, and protein synthesis in the muscle. The biological actions of vitamin D on muscle cell differentiation, metabolism and function may be multiple, acting through direct and indirect, genomic and non-genomic pathways. Vitamin D increases calcium uptake in muscle cells and has a regulator effect on the calcium channel, which is important for muscle contractile activity.