The ergogenic effects of vitamin D and creatine in the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia in the elderly

Resumen

Objective: to carry out a bibliographical review of the effects of the association of vitamin D and creatine supplementation in the prevention and treatment of sarcopenia in the elderly. Methodology: for the collection of scientific articles, original studies were used, published in journals indexed in databases. Study results were compiled and discussed to identify trends and relevant conclusions. Results: among the three reviewed articles addressing creatine exclusively, two were long-term and showed positive effects, and only one of them did not show significant effects. As for vitamin D, even though it has been studied in aging, its application in sarcopenia is debatable. The results seem to be more promising when the individual has low serum levels of vitamin D. Some studies have shown positive results when using vitamin D supplementation in sarcopenic individuals, but it is important to emphasize that only one of these studies tested it alone. Conclusion: vitamin D and creatine seem to be promising as supplements to combat sarcopenia in the elderly, although there are studies that have separately analyzed the effectiveness of vitamin D and creatine in combating sarcopenia, so far, there are no studies that have specifically investigated the combination of these two supplements for this condition. This gap in the literature underscores the need for further research to assess the possible synergy or interaction between vitamin D and creatine in the context of sarcopenia.