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. 2021 Sep 20:76:e3200.
doi: 10.6061/clinics/2021/e3200. eCollection 2021.

The role of serum levels of vitamin D in children's muscle strength: A systematic review

Ana B J da Silva  1   2 , Taciane S do Carmo  2 , Ana P S Souza  1   2 , Mariluce R M Silva  1   2 , Matheus S S Fernandes  1 , Viviane O N Souza  3 , Waleska M A Barros  1   2
Affiliations

The role of serum levels of vitamin D in children's muscle strength: A systematic review

Ana B J da Silva et al. Clinics (Sao Paulo). .

Abstract

This review aims to investigate the different levels of vitamin D and its role in muscle strength in healthy children and non-athletes. A search conducted in three databases (PubMed, Scopus, and Psycinfo) resulted in 655 articles, which were systematically analyzed and selected based on the following criteria: (a) original cross-sectional studies and clinical trials; (b) healthy children aged 5-11 years; (c) no language restriction or year of publication; and (d) studies that assessed the possible relationship between vitamin D levels and muscle strength. Six studies were included because they met all the inclusion criteria. According to the findings of this review, factors such as sex, skin color, and vitamin D supplementation early in life modulate the levels of vitamin D in the body, and there is a relationship between muscle strength and vitamin D levels. Interestingly, vitamin D supplementation is not always significantly associated with increased muscle grip strength. However, there is a scarcity of studies that aim to analyze the possible effects of different levels of vitamin D on muscle function and neuromuscular variables in physically inactive children and non-athletes without previously diagnosed disease. Further studies are warranted in the future to address the gap in the literature.

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Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Flowchart of bibliographic research and selection of studies for this systematic review according to PRISMA.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Risk of bias summary: review authors’ judgements about each risk of bias item for each included study.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Risk of bias graph: review authors’ judgements about each risk of bias item presented as percentages across all included studies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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