Vitamin D and osteosarcopenia: an update from epidemiological studies

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The review summarizes recent epidemiological studies that examined the relationship between osteoporosis and sarcopenia to assess the impact of vitamin D status or supplementation on health outcomes related to these two medical conditions. RECENT FINDINGS: Osteoporosis and sarcopenia are major public health problems, but whether these two diseases should be considered alone or combined into a single condition is not clear. No consensual definition of osteosarcopenia is largely accepted. Most observational studies demonstrate some relationship between muscle and bone health. Vitamin D status is generally lower in study participants with bone or muscle wasting. Studies on the effects of vitamin D supplementation on muscle or bone health have provided conflicting results, likely because of the heterogeneity between studies. However, the most positive results were observed in study participants with low vitamin D status and in studies that avoided massive boluses of vitamin D. SUMMARY: More observational and interventional studies are needed to confirm the exact role of vitamin D in the pathophysiology and treatment of osteosarcopenia.