Effects of Whey Protein, Leucine, and Vitamin D Supplementation in Patients with Sarcopenia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

(1) Background: In this study, a meta-analysis was performed to investigate the effects of whey protein, leucine, and vitamin D in sarcopenia; (2) Methods: We searched PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, and Scopus databases and retrieved studies published until 5 December 2022. Randomized controlled trials were included to evaluate muscle mass, strength, and function, after using whey protein, leucine, and vitamin D supplementation in patients with sarcopenia; (3) Results: A total of three studies including 637 patients reported the effectiveness of using whey protein, leucine, and vitamin D supplementation in patients with sarcopenia. Without considering whether or not a physical exercise program was combined with nutritional supplementation, no significant differences in grip strength or short physical performance battery (SPPB) scores between the experimental and control groups were noted. However, appendicular muscle mass significantly improved in the experimental group compared to the control group. The results were analyzed according to the presence or absence of a concomitant physical exercise program. With the use of a concomitant physical exercise program, handgrip strength and SPPB scores in the experimental group significantly improved when compared to the control group. In contrast, when physical exercise was not combined, there was no significant improvement in the handgrip strength and SPPB scores of patients with sarcopenia. In addition, the appendicular muscle mass significantly increased regardless of the presence of a concomitant physical exercise program; (4) Conclusions: Whey protein, leucine, and vitamin D supplementation can increase appendicular muscle mass in patients with sarcopenia. In addition, combining a physical exercise program with whey protein, leucine, and vitamin D supplementation can improve muscle strength and function.

Keywords: leucine; meta-analysis; sarcopenia; vitamin D; whey protein.

Figure 1

Flow diagram showing the search results of the meta-analysis.

Figure 2

Results of the quality assessment of the included studies [19,20,21].

Figure 3

Forest plot showing the results of appendicular muscle mass after use of whey protein, leucine, and vitamin D in patients with sarcopenia [19,21]. Numbers in bold indicate analysis results.

Figure 4

Forest plot showing the results of (A) handgrip strength [19,20,21] and (B) SPPB scores [19,21] after use of whey protein, leucine, and vitamin D in patients with sarcopenia. Numbers in bold indicate analysis results.

Figure 5

Graphic funnel plot of the included studies. The x-axis represents the standardized mean difference, and the y-axis represents the standard error.