Effects of Resistance Training Combined with Vitamin D Supplementation on Health-Related Variables in the Elderly: Muscle Strength, Body Composition, and Inflammatory Status

Aging is associated with changes in body composition that lead to low-grade chronic inflammation, compromising the health of the elderly. This condition can be mitigated by resistance training (RT) and vitamin D supplementation, promoting the health of this population. This study aimed to investigate the effects of 12 weeks of RT combined with vitamin D supplementation on body composition, muscle strength, and inflammatory status in older adults. A total of 26 participants were randomly assigned to an Experimental Group (EG: n = 12; 11 Female; 70.6 ± 4.7 years; RT + 2000 IU/day of vitamin D) and a Control Group (EG: n = 14; 11 Female; 69.6 ± 4.6 years; RT + placebo). Both groups performed the same RT program (8 exercises; 2 sets; 10 RM, twice per week). Before and after the intervention, participants were assessed using DEXA, strength tests (sit-to-stand test and handgrip strength), and serum biomarkers (IL-6, TNF-α, 25(OH)D). Both groups showed significant strength gains, particularly in the lower limbs (p < 0.05 for all tests and groups), with no between-group differences in body composition or inflammatory markers (p > 0.05 for all tests and groups). A time × group interaction was observed for IL-6 (p = 0.03), with a slight reduction in the EG and an increase in the CG, although post-intervention differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.49). No statistically significant between-group difference in 25(OH)D change (p = 0.11). These findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation at the tested dose did not enhance adaptations to resistance training in older adults with normal baseline vitamin D levels. Further studies are warranted to explore potential benefits in deficient populations and with alternative dosing strategies.

• Publication year

  2025

• Venue

  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

• Publication date

  2025-11-01

• Fields of study

  Medicine

• Identifiers
  DOI 10.3390/ijerph22111695PMID 41302641PMCID 12652358
• External record

  Open on Semantic Scholar

• Source metadata

  Semantic Scholar, PubMed

• No claims are published for this paper.

• No concepts are published for this paper.

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