Vitamin D reduces cognitive decline
Doctors in this study measured vitamin D levels and cognitive performance in 6,257 older woman still living independently in their communities. Women with the lowest levels of vitamin D-10 to 25 nanograms per milliliter of blood (ng/mL)-were much more likely to be cognitively impaired than women with 30 to 74 ng/mL of vitamin D.
Four years later, doctors found that women with less than 20 ng/mL of vitamin D were much more likely to have experienced cognitive decline compare to the start of the study, while women with higher vitamin D levels were much more likely to have maintained cognitive function.
Low vitamin D levels linked to Alzheimer’s disease
In this study, doctors measured vitamin D in the diets of 498 women who were not taking vitamin D supplements and who did not have Alzheimer’s disease (AD) or other dementias at the start of the study. After seven years of follow-up, researchers divided the women into three groups; those who had developed AD, those who had developed other dementias, and those who had not developed dementia.
Doctors found a direct link: as levels of vitamin D increased, chances of developing AD decreased. Women who got the most vitamin D-the top 20 percent-were 77 percent less likely to develop AD compare to all other women who got lower amounts of vitamin D.
Reference: The Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences; 2012, Vol. 67, No. 10, 1092-8
From the March 2012 newsletter
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