Abstract
Introduction
Minerals may contribute to prevent and treat sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle
mass, muscle strength, and physical performance. So far, there is no comprehensive
review on the impact of minerals on sarcopenia outcomes. The aim of this systematic
review is to evaluate the role of calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium,
selenium, sodium, and zinc on muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance
in older adults.
Methods
A systematic search was conducted between March 2016 and July 2016, in the PubMed
database using predefined search terms. Articles on the role of dietary mineral intake
or mineral serum concentrations on muscle mass, muscle strength, physical performance,
and/or the prevalence of sarcopenia in healthy or frail older adults (average age ≥ 65 years)
were selected. Only original research publications were included. The search and data
extraction were conducted in duplicate by 2 independent researchers. The Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement was followed
in constructing this systematic review. The Effective Public Health Practice Project
(EPHPP) Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies was used to evaluate the
quality of the selected articles.
Results
From the 3346 articles found, a total of 10 studies met the inclusion criteria. Observational
studies showed that serum selenium (n = 1) and calcium intake (n = 1) were significantly
associated with muscle mass, and magnesium (n = 1), selenium (n = 1), iron (n = 1),
and zinc (n = 1) intake were significantly and positively associated with physical
performance in older adults. Furthermore, magnesium (n = 2), selenium (n = 2), calcium
(n = 2), and phosphorus (n = 1) intake were associated with the prevalence of sarcopenia.
Magnesium supplementation improved physical performance based on one randomized controlled
trial. No studies on the role of sodium or potassium on muscle mass, muscle strength,
or physical performance were found.
Conclusion
Minerals may be important nutrients to prevent and/or treat sarcopenia. Particularly,
magnesium, selenium, and calcium seem to be most promising. Most of the included studies,
however, were observational studies. Therefore, more randomized controlled trials
are needed to elucidate the potential benefits of mineral intake to prevent and/or
treat sarcopenia and support healthy aging.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 12, 2017
Footnotes
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Identification
Copyright
© 2017 AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.
