42% of Americans have low vitamin D levels. In addition to bone health, vitamin D also helps the brain, cognitive function and dementia. Learn how.
About 42 percent of the general U.S. population has low vitamin D levels. In addition to promoting calcium and bone health, vitamin D may also affect the brain and cognitive function. A new study by JAMA Neurology looked at the association between baseline vitamin D levels and the rate of cognitive decline in a group of ethnically diverse older adults.
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The Study
A researcher from Rutgers University, along with colleagues from the University of California Davis, studied 382 older adults with an average age of 75. Among the group, 61 percent of participants were women, 41 percent white, about 30 percent were African American and 25 percent were Hispanic. At study enrollment, about 18 percent had dementia, 33 percent had mild cognitive impairment and half were cognitively normal.Vitamin D levels and cognitive function were measured at baseline. Cognitive function was also followed in 318 of the participants for an average of 5 years.
Results
Researchers found:- About 60% of the group, regardless of their race or ethnicity, was low in vitamin D.
- Vitamin D levels were lower for African American and Hispanics, compared with their white counterparts.
- Participants in the dementia group had lower vitamin D levels compared with the mild cognitive impairment and cognitively normal groups.
- Rates of decline in episodic memory and executive function among vitamin D deficient and vitamin D insufficient participants were greater than those with adequate vitamin D status after adjusting for a variety of patient factors
- Vitamin D status was not significantly associated with decline in semantic memory or visuospatial ability.
Conclusions
The study results show that Vitamin D insufficiency was associated with significantly faster declines in both episodic memory and executive function performance, which may correspond to elevated risk for Alzheimer's dementia.The encouraging fact is, Vitamin D insufficiency is medically correctable. Ask your doctor.
MORE INFORMATION:
SOURCE:
- Low vitamin D levels associated with more rapid cognitive decline in older adults, Joshua W. Miller et al., JAMA Neurology, doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2015.2115, published online 14 September 2015.
SOURCE:
- The JAMA Network
The Journal of the American Medical Association
Makes you wonder if the increase in dementia and alzheimer's began after we were told to stay out of the sun and use sunscreen so much.
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