The Study
1,25(OH)2-vitamin D3 enhances the stimulating effect of leucine and insulin on protein synthesis rate through Akt/PKB and mTOR mediated pathways in murine C2C12 skeletal myotubes.
This study looked at mouse muscle cells in a petri dish and saw that adding vitamin D, insulin, and leucine made the cells make more protein. But that doesn’t mean it works the same way in people or makes muscles stronger in real life.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Vitamin D, when combined with insulin and a building block called leucine, helps muscle cells make more protein.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 59 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This is a lab result in mouse cells; it's not yet known if it happens the same way in humans.
- 2With vitamin D, insulin, and leucine, muscle cells made 14–16% more protein than without vitamin D.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Molecular nutrition & food research
Year
2013
Authors
J. Salles, A. Chanet, C. Giraudet, V. Patrac, P. Pierre, M. Jourdan, Y. Luiking, S. Verlaan, C. Migné, Y. Boirie, S. Walrand
Related Content
Claims (4)
A form of vitamin D that your body uses helps muscle cells grow better, improves how muscles use insulin to build protein, and makes the energy factories inside muscle cells work harder.
When scientists add a form of vitamin D to mouse muscle cells in a dish, the cells start making more of two important proteins: one that helps them respond to insulin, and one that helps them respond to vitamin D itself.
When scientists added a form of vitamin D along with leucine and insulin to muscle cells from mice, the cells made more protein than usual—about 14 to 16% more—suggesting these three things work better together than alone.
In muscle cells from mice, a form of vitamin D makes the cells respond stronger to leucine and insulin, which are signals that tell the body to build muscle — so it might help muscles grow better.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.