The Association Between Vitamin D and Inflammation with the 6-Minute Walk and Frailty in Patients with Heart Failure

OBJECTIVES: To identify relationships between anabolic hormones, inflammatory markers, and physical function. DESIGN: Cross‐sectional. SETTING: Outpatient university heart failure program in Connecticut. PARTICIPANTS: Sixty patients with an ejection fraction of 40% or less. MEASUREMENTS: The 6‐minute walk distance and frailty phenotype were measured. The relationship between physical measures of hormones and inflammatory mediators were examined. Linear and ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed for the physical measures. RESULTS: Forty‐three men (mean age 77 ± 9) and 17 women (mean age 78 ± 12) participated. Longer 6‐minute walk distance was correlated with higher 25‐hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) level, and a shorter walk was correlated with higher cortisol: dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS) ratio, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP), interleukin‐6 (IL6), and intact parathyroid hormone (PTH) (all P