Dominik Spira1, Nikolaus Buchmann2, Maximilian König3, Adrian Rosada4, Elisabeth Steinhagen-Thiessen5, Ilja Demuth6, Kristina Norman7. 1. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany. Electronic address: dominik.spira@charite.de. 2. Department of Internal Medicine B, Cardiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany. 3. Medical Department, Division of Nephrology and Internal Intensive Care Medicine, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany. 4. Research Group on Geriatrics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany. 5. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany; University Medicine Greifswald and Kreiskrankenhaus Wolgast, Altersmedizinisches Zentrum, Greifswald, Germany. 6. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany. 7. Research Group on Geriatrics, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Germany; German Institute for Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbrücke, Department of Nutrition and Gerontology, Nuthetal, Germany; University of Potsdam, Institute of Nutritional Science, Nuthetal, Germany.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sex-specific differences in factors associated with aging and lifespan, such as sarcopenia and disease development, are increasingly recognized. The study aims to assess sex-specific aspects of the association between vitamin D insufficiency and low lean mass as well as between vitamin D insufficiency and the frailty phenotype. METHODS: A total of 1102 participants (51% women) from the Berlin Aging Study II were included in this cross-sectional study. Vitamin D insufficiency was defined as a 25(OH)D level <50 nmol/L. Lean mass was assessed with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and corrected by body mass index. Low lean mass was defined according to the Foundations for the National Institutes of Health Sarcopenia Project criteria (appendicular lean mass/body mass index <0.789 in men and <0.512 in women) and frailty defined according to the Fried criteria. RESULTS: In a risk factor-adjusted analysis, the association of vitamin D insufficiency was significantly influenced by sex (P for interaction < 0.001). Men with vitamin D insufficiency had 1.8 times higher odds of having low lean mass, with no association between vitamin D insufficiency and low lean mass in women. Participants with vitamin D insufficiency had 1.5 higher odds of being prefrail/frail with no significant effect modification by sex. CONCLUSIONS: We found notable sex-specific differences in the association of vitamin D insufficiency with low lean mass but not of vitamin D insufficiency with frailty. Vitamin D might play a relevant role in the loss of lean mass in men but not women and might be a biological marker of an unfavorable aging process associated with early development of frailty regardless of sex.
BACKGROUND: Sex-specific differences in factors associated with aging and lifespan, such as sarcopenia and disease development, are increasingly recognized. The study aims to assess sex-specific aspects of the association between vitamin Dinsufficiency and low lean mass as well as between vitamin Dinsufficiency and the frailty phenotype. METHODS: A total of 1102 participants (51% women) from the Berlin Aging Study II were included in this cross-sectional study. Vitamin Dinsufficiency was defined as a 25(OH)D level <50 nmol/L. Lean mass was assessed with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry and corrected by body mass index. Low lean mass was defined according to the Foundations for the National Institutes of Health Sarcopenia Project criteria (appendicular lean mass/body mass index <0.789 in men and <0.512 in women) and frailty defined according to the Fried criteria. RESULTS: In a risk factor-adjusted analysis, the association of vitamin Dinsufficiency was significantly influenced by sex (P for interaction < 0.001). Men with vitamin Dinsufficiency had 1.8 times higher odds of having low lean mass, with no association between vitamin Dinsufficiency and low lean mass in women. Participants with vitamin Dinsufficiency had 1.5 higher odds of being prefrail/frail with no significant effect modification by sex. CONCLUSIONS: We found notable sex-specific differences in the association of vitamin Dinsufficiency with low lean mass but not of vitamin Dinsufficiency with frailty. Vitamin D might play a relevant role in the loss of lean mass in men but not women and might be a biological marker of an unfavorable aging process associated with early development of frailty regardless of sex.