Leucine and vitamin D supplement for muscle in older adults
What it found
In 380 older adults with low muscle mass, a vitamin D and leucine-enriched whey protein drink taken twice daily for 13 weeks led to more muscle mass and better lower-leg function than a control drink.
Handgrip strength improved in both groups by about the same amount.
What they found
Studies in people
Handgrip strength
Handgrip strength improved in both the active and control groups, with no significant difference between them.
SPPB score
Short Physical Performance Battery scores improved in both groups, with no significant difference between the groups.
Chair-stand test
The active group improved more in the chair-stand test than the control group, with a between-group effect of -1.01 seconds.
Muscle mass
The active group gained more appendicular muscle mass than the control group, with a between-group effect of 0.17 kg.
What the authors conclude
“This 13-week intervention of a vitamin D and leucine-enriched whey protein oral nutritional supplement resulted in improvements in muscle mass and lower-extremity function among sarcopenic older adults.”
Also in their conclusions
- They conclude that this 13-week intervention of a vitamin D and leucine-enriched whey protein oral nutritional supplement resulted in improvements in muscle mass and lower-extremity function among sarcopenic older adults.
- They say the study shows proof-of-principle that specific nutritional supplementation alone might benefit geriatric patients, especially those who are unable to exercise.
- They state that these results warrant further investigations into the role of a specific nutritional supplement as part of a multimodal approach to prevent adverse outcomes among older adults at risk for disability.
How it was done
Age-related loss of muscle mass, strength and function threatens physical performance, independence and quality of life. The authors wanted to see whether a nutritional supplement could help prevent mobility disability.
They ran a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial at several centres with 380 mostly independent-living older adults who had sarcopenia, Short Physical Performance Battery scores between 4 and 9, and a low skeletal muscle mass index. The active group (184 people) took a vitamin D and leucine-enriched whey protein supplement twice daily for 13 weeks, while the control group (196 people) took an iso-caloric control product twice daily for the same period. They measured handgrip strength, SPPB score, chair-stand test, gait speed, balance score and appendicular muscle mass at the start, week 7 and week 13.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- The trial lasted 13 weeks, so it cannot show what happens over longer periods.
- It cannot show whether the supplement prevents disability or other long-term outcomes.
Who paid
- Funding
- Funded by Medical Research Council (from the PubMed record).
- Authors work at
- Carl von Ossietzky University, Germany; VU University Medical Center, The Netherlands; Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Belgium
The paper
- Title
- Effects of a vitamin D and leucine-enriched whey protein nutritional supplement on measures of sarcopenia in older adults, the PROVIDE study: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Bauer JM, Verlaan S, Bautmans I, et al (2015). Effects of a vitamin D and leucine-enriched whey protein nutritional supplement on measures of sarcopenia in older adults, the PROVIDE study: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2015.05.021PubMed 26170041DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error