A link between vitamin D levels and muscle strength has been found in girls, according to researchers from the Odense Child Cohort.
The ODD is a research initiative set up to detect specific health problems in children.
In the study, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 881 five-year-old children had their muscle strength measured with a standardised test for hand grip strength.
The statistical analyses were adjusted for height, weight and body fat percentage and were statistically highly significant.
The researchers said girls with low vitamin D had a 70 percent increased risk of being among the lowest 10 percent in a test for muscle strength.
Girls were also found to be stronger if their Vitamin D level was more than 50 nmol/L.
The findings from the study were only evident in girls and not in boys.
“The study offers no explanation for the difference between boys and girls,” according to Henrik Thybo Christesen, professor at HC Andersen Children’s Hospital.
