Vitamin D Status and Muscle Strength in a Pan-European Cohort of Children and Adolescents with Normal Weight and Overweight/obesity

Overview

Journal Eur J Pediatr

Specialty Pediatrics

Date 2025 Feb 11

PMID 39934522

Authors

Hajo Zeeb

Tilman Brand

Lauren Lissner

Fabio Lauria

Denes Molnar

Toomas Veidebaum

Matthias Nauck

Michael Tornaritis

Stefaan de Henauw

Luis A Moreno

Wolfgang Ahrens

Hermann Pohlabeln

Maike Wolters

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Conclusions: The positive association of vitamin D with muscle strength in our study is limited to children with low and normal BMI. In children with overweight or obesity, the higher muscle strength seems to superimpose the association with vitamin D. Overall, our results indicate the importance of sufficient levels of vitamin D and offers physical activity perspectives for children with overweight and obesity.

Study Registration: ISRCTN: https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN62310987 .

What Is Known: • Studies have shown a positive association between vitamin D status and handgrip strength in older adults while studies in children and adolescents are scarce. • Conflicting results were found on whether overweight and obesity are associated with reduced or increased handgrip strength compared to normal weight.

What Is New: • The results of this large pan-European study in children and adolescents indicate that a sufficient vitamin D status is associated with better handgrip strength, particularly in participants with thinness/normal weight. • Children with overweight and obesity have a higher handgrip strength as compared to children with thinness/normal weight which seems to superimpose the positive association between vitamin D status and handgrip strength in this group.

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