Vitamin D: Deficiences In Old Age Accelerate Cognitive Decline

Vitamin D is important for you. It helps build strong bones by promoting calcium absorption and promoting overall growth. Too little vitamin D can cause rickets or misshapen bones that may result in osteomalacia. In other words, we need a good amount of vitamin D so that the body functions properly. And fortunately, these days, there's enough places to get the right amount: there's sunlight, there's certain types of foods and even for picky eaters, there's supplements. 

Yet new findings published in JAMA Neurology reiterate just how important vitamin D is for older individuals. A team of researchers at the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University discovered that insufficient levels of vitamin D increased the risk factors associated with cognitive decline, regardless of race or ethnicities. In fact, on average, those with low vitamin D levels declined anywhere from two to three times as fast as those with adequate vitamin D.

"There were some people in the study who had low vitamin D who didn't decline at all and some people with adequate vitamin D who declined quickly," said Joshua Miller, professor of nutritional sciences at the Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, in a news release. "But on average, people with low vitamin D declined two to three times as fast as those with adequate vitamin D."

During the study, researchers conducted trials between 2002 and 2010 at the Alzheimer's Disease Center at the University of California Davis. This included 382 people between the ages of 60 to 90 who were assessed for vitamin D levels and cognition once a year over a five-year period. Findings revealed that those over the age of 60 should check with their doctor regarding taking vitamin D supplements so as to prevent the potential of cognitive decline.

"Some people may have had melanoma or fear getting it," Miller said. "Or, they may live in climates where the sun isn't powerful enough, or do work that keeps them out of the sun. That's where supplements come in."

With future studies, researchers hope to conduct randomized controlled clinical trials that may provide more of an in-depth look at this potential link between vitamin D levels and cognitive decline.

Related Articles

Vitamin D and Chronic Kidney Disease: Study Finds Supplement Can Help

For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).