Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35565827›Full record

SynthesisNutrients2022

Effect of Calcifediol on Physical Performance and Muscle Strength Parameters: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Mario Barbagallo, Nicola Veronese, Agnese Di Prazza, Francesco Pollicino, Luca Carruba, Anna La Carrubba, Ligia J Dominguez

Open access · goldAbstract readMeta-AnalysisSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Nutrients, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.9field-weighted citation impact, top 6% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 22 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Effect of calcifediol and cholecalciferol on muscle function in postmenopausal women: a randomized controlled trial.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2025
    Trial
  3. Review
  4. Sarcopenia: how to determine and manage.Knee surgery & related research · 2025
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Article
  12. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Mario BarbagalloGeriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-1349-6530
Nicola VeroneseGeriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.ORCID 0000-0002-9328-289X
Agnese Di PrazzaGeriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.ORCID 0000-0001-9193-1422
Francesco PollicinoGeriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
Luca CarrubaGeriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
Anna La CarrubbaGeriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
Ligia J DominguezGeriatric Unit, Department of Internal Medicine and Geriatrics, University of Palermo, 90127 Palermo, Italy.
University of Palermo · ITUniversità degli Studi di Enna Kore · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

There is general agreement that optimal vitamin D status is necessary for bones, muscles, and general health, particularly in older adults, who are at higher risk of negative consequences of vitamin D deficiency, including sarcopenia; vitamin D supplementation is proposed as a potential intervention to mitigate sarcopenia. Several RCTs have reported that calcifediol (25(OH)D) was more potent than cholecalciferol in increasing plasma 25(OH)D. The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the effects of calcifediol on physical performance and muscle strength. We searched databases from inception to 1 January 2022 for studies investigating calcifediol on physical performance or muscle strength parameters. We calculated the difference between the means of follow-up vs. baseline data using standardized mean differences (SMD) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs); a random-effect model was considered for all of the analyses. Seven RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. Calcifediol significantly improved gait speed (SMD = 2.500; 95%CI = 1.768−3.223; p < 0.0001); handgrip strength (n = 5446 participants, SMD = 0.532; 95%CI: 0.305−0.758; p < 0.0001; I2 = 20.2%); and leg extension (n = 4318 participants, SMD = 0.641; 95%CI: 0.346 to 0.935; p < 0.0001; I2 = 18.8%;) vs. baseline values. In conclusion, in this systematic review and meta-analysis, we observed that calcifediol may have a positive effect on muscle strength parameters, with less evidence on physical performance. These data further indicate the importance of vitamin D and, in particular, of calcifediol, not only on bone metabolism but also on muscle parameters and sarcopenia.

Indexed as

CalcifediolSarcopeniaAgedDietary SupplementsHand StrengthHumansMuscle StrengthPhysical Functional PerformanceVitamin DVitaminsCalcifediolVitamin DVitaminscalcifediolmeta-analysismuscle strengthphysical performancesarcopeniavitamin D

Identifiers

PMID35565827
PMCPMC9103966
OpenAlexW4225278907

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.