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Minerals and Sarcopenia; The Role of Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium, Sodium, and Zinc on Muscle Mass, Muscle Strength, and Physical Performance in Older Adults: A Systematic Review.

Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
January 1, 2018
Carliene van Dronkelaar et al. (6 authors)
Journal ArticleSystematic ReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the role of calcium, among other minerals, in preventing or treating sarcopenia by assessing its impact on muscle mass, strength, and physical performance in older adults.

Results Summary

Observational studies showed calcium intake was significantly associated with muscle mass (n=1) and sarcopenia prevalence (n=2), suggesting potential benefits for sarcopenia prevention. However, no randomized controlled trials specifically confirmed these effects.

Population

Older adults (average age ≥ 65 years), including healthy and frail individuals.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (11)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
serum selenium
neutral
muscle mass
older adults
-
were significantly associated with
#1
calcium intake
neutral
muscle mass
older adults
-
were significantly associated with
#2
magnesium intake
increase
physical performance
older adults
-
were significantly and positively associated with
#3
selenium intake
increase
physical performance
older adults
-
were significantly and positively associated with
#4
iron intake
increase
physical performance
older adults
-
were significantly and positively associated with
#5
zinc intake
increase
physical performance
older adults
-
were significantly and positively associated with
#6
magnesium intake
neutral
prevalence of sarcopenia
older adults
-
were associated with
#7
selenium intake
neutral
prevalence of sarcopenia
older adults
-
were associated with
#8
calcium intake
neutral
prevalence of sarcopenia
older adults
-
were associated with
#9
phosphorus intake
neutral
prevalence of sarcopenia
older adults
-
were associated with
#10
magnesium supplementation
increase
physical performance
-
-
improved
#11
Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Minerals may contribute to prevent and treat sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance. So far, there is no comprehensive review on the impact of minerals on sarcopenia outcomes. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the role of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, selenium, sodium, and zinc on muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance in older adults. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted between March 2016 and July 2016, in the PubMed database using predefined search terms. Articles on the role of dietary mineral intake or mineral serum concentrations on muscle mass, muscle strength, physical performance, and/or the prevalence of sarcopenia in healthy or frail older adults (average age ≥ 65 years) were selected. Only original research publications were included. The search and data extraction were conducted in duplicate by 2 independent researchers. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement was followed in constructing this systematic review. The Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies was used to evaluate the quality of the selected articles. RESULTS: From the 3346 articles found, a total of 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. Observational studies showed that serum selenium (n = 1) and calcium intake (n = 1) were significantly associated with muscle mass, and magnesium (n = 1), selenium (n = 1), iron (n = 1), and zinc (n = 1) intake were significantly and positively associated with physical performance in older adults. Furthermore, magnesium (n = 2), selenium (n = 2), calcium (n = 2), and phosphorus (n = 1) intake were associated with the prevalence of sarcopenia. Magnesium supplementation improved physical performance based on one randomized controlled trial. No studies on the role of sodium or potassium on muscle mass, muscle strength, or physical performance were found. CONCLUSION: Minerals may be important nutrients to prevent and/or treat sarcopenia. Particularly, magnesium, selenium, and calcium seem to be most promising. Most of the included studies, however, were observational studies. Therefore, more randomized controlled trials are needed to elucidate the potential benefits of mineral intake to prevent and/or treat sarcopenia and support healthy aging.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
AgedAgingCalciumDietary SupplementsFemaleGeriatric AssessmentHumansIronMagnesiumMaleMineralsMuscle StrengthNutritional StatusPhosphorusPhysical Functional PerformancePotassiumSarcopeniaSeleniumSensitivity and SpecificityZinc
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy70/10
Quality75/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations167
Citations/Year23.9
Relative Citation Ratio9.87
NIH Percentile97.8%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.95
Weight Score2.37
Normalized Score0.63
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