Vitamin B1 and B2 may lower sarcopenia risk, researchers find
Specifically, increased intakes of vitamin B1 was found to reduce sarcopenia risk by 22%, whilst vitamin B2 lowered risk by 16%.
Following gender-specific analysis, risk was revealed to reduce by 28% in males with each additional mg of vitamin B1. In females, risk reduced by 26% with every additional mg of vitamin B2 intake.
The ‘Frontiers in Nutrition’ published research was funded by the National Key R&D Program of China and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
“Higher intake of vitamin B1 and B2 may lower the risk of early-onset sarcopenia, with gender differences,” the Chinese researchers concluded. “This suggests the potential of nutritional intervention by increasing these vitamins intake through diet and supplements.”
“These gender disparities highlighted the importance of considering sex differences when addressing preventive measures for sarcopenia,” they added.
Vitamin intakes and sarcopenia
Sarcopenia is a disorder resulting in the gradual loss of muscle mass and function, which can increase risk of further consequences such as falls and disability. The condition can coexist with an array of different conditions, including pulmonary disease and diabetes, resulting in a vicious cycle causing disease acceleration.
Early-onset sarcopenia occurs at an earlier life stage and can have worse clinical outcomes, yet research into this type is lacking. It is known that inflammation, oxidative stress, and endocrine changes may contribute to its development.
The importance of vitamins for the prevention of sarcopenia is becoming increasingly understood, due to their vital involvement in muscle homeostasis. Whilst vitamin D has been increasingly associated with sarcopenia risk, few studies have investigated the significance of B-vitamins for muscle maintenance despite their role in energy and protein metabolism.
Thus, the present study sought to investigate the potential association between B-vitamins and early-onset sarcopenia following analysis of data from NHANES 2011–2018.
Study specifics
The cross-sectional study involved NHANES data from 8,711 screened participants aged between 29 and 59 years, grouped into inactive, active, and highly active based on physical activity level.
The inactive group did less than 150 min of moderate or higher-intensity activity or less than 75 min of high-intensity activity per week. The moderately active group did 150 to 300 min of moderate or higher-intensity activity or 75 to 150 min of high-intensity activity per week.
Two 24-hour recall interviews were conducted to obtain nutritional data to determine B-vitamin intakes. Early-onset sarcopenia was diagnosed by measuring skeletal muscle mass index (SMI) through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to determine body composition. Early-onset sarcopenia is defined as SMI below one standard deviation of the mean.
Following analysis, it was observed that higher intakes of vitamin B1 was associated with a 22% lower sarcopenia risk. In addition, higher intakes of B2 were associated with a 16% lower risk in both genders. A nonlinear relationship between vitamin B2 intake and sarcopenia risk was established, with a plateau effect above 3 mg/d.
When analysing by gender, in males it was found that each additional mg of vitamin B1 intake resulted in a 28% reduction in sarcopenia risk, with no association observed for B2. In females, there was a 26% decrease with each mg of vitamin B2 intake, but no association with B1.
“Our findings revealed a significant correlation, indicating that higher intake of these vitamins is linked to a reduced risk of developing sarcopenia,” the researchers emphasised. “Notably, our sex-stratified subgroup analysis demonstrated a sex-specific effect, with vitamin B1 exhibiting stronger protective effects in males while vitamin B2 showed greater benefits in females.”
The report urged for further research to investigate the observed association and the underlying mechanisms of action.
Source: Frontiers in Nutrition
dio: https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1369331
"Association of vitamins B1 and B2 intake with early-onset sarcopenia in the general adult population of the US: a cross-sectional study of NHANES data from 2011 to 2018"
Authors: Sha Yang et. al.
