Vitamin D Insufficiency Reduces Grip Strength, Grip Endurance and Increases Frailty in Aged C57Bl/6J Mice

• Published in: Nutrients Vol. 12; no. 10; p. 3005
• Main Authors: Seldeen, Kenneth Ladd, Berman, Reem Nagi, Pang, Manhui, Lasky, Ginger, Weiss, Carleara, MacDonald, Brian Alexander, Thiyagarajan, Ramkumar, Redae, Yonas, Troen, Bruce Robert
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 30.09.2020; MDPI
• Subjects: 25-OH vitamin D; Adipose tissue; Age; Aging; Aging - physiology; Animals; Body Composition; Bone density; Calciferol; cholecalciferol; Dietary Supplements; Disease Models, Animal; Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry; Fitness equipment; Frailty; Frailty - etiology; Gait; Grip strength; Hand Strength - physiology; Investigations; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Nutritional Status; Older people; parathyroid hormone; Phenotypes; Physical Endurance - physiology; Physical Functional Performance; physical performance; Sarcopenia; Treadmills; Vitamin D; Vitamin D - administration & dosage; Vitamin D - analogs & derivatives; Vitamin D - blood; Vitamin D Deficiency - complications; Vitamin D Deficiency - physiopathology; United States > US; frailty; parathyroid hormone; body composition; bone density; 25-OH vitamin D; cholecalciferol; physical performance; aging
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu12103005

Low 25-OH serum vitamin D (VitD) is pervasive in older adults and linked to functional decline and progression of frailty. We have previously shown that chronic VitD insufficiency in "middle-aged" mice results in impaired anaerobic exercise capacity, decreased lean mass, and increased adiposity. Here, we examine if VitD insufficiency results in similar deficits and greater frailty progression in old-aged (24 to 28 months of age) mice. Similar to what we report in younger mice, older mice exhibit a rapid and sustained response in serum 25-OH VitD levels to differential supplementation, including insufficient (125 IU/kg chow), sufficient (1000 IU/kg chow), and hypersufficient (8000 IU/kg chow) groups. During the 4-month time course, mice were assessed for body composition (DEXA), physical performance, and frailty using a Fried physical phenotype-based assessment tool. The 125 IU mice exhibited worse grip strength ( = 0.002) and inverted grip hang time ( = 0.003) at endpoint and the 8000 IU mice transiently displayed greater rotarod performance after 3 months ( = 0.012), yet other aspects including treadmill performance and gait speed were unaffected. However, 125 and 1000 IU mice exhibited greater frailty compared to baseline ( = 0.001 and = 0.038, respectively), whereas 8000 IU mice did not ( = 0.341). These data indicate targeting higher serum 25-OH vitamin D levels may attenuate frailty progression during aging.