Vitamin D and Brain Function Impairment

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is essential for bone growth and remodeling. It also helps regulate certain functions of our immune system. The body produces vitamin D upon exposure of the skin to the sun’s ultraviolet rays. This vitamin can be found in quite a limited number of foods, a commonly added nutrient in some, and often available as an element of certain dietary supplements.

Impairment in brain function is a common occurrence in the elderly that a lot of research has been aimed to look deeply into this issue. Finding the causes of cognitive impairment is very important in order to find effective ways of fighting it. So any findings showing a possible link to cognitive decline during the twilight years would always be welcome and worth sharing.

A recent study tried to look into the possible association between low vitamin D levels and brain impairment during old age. Researchers from the University of Cambridge led by Dr. David J. Llewellyn studied 1766 elderly people who were at least 65 years of age.

For the study, the team of researchers quantified the circulating levels of vitamin D of the participants and assessed their cognitive function with the use of the Abbreviated Mental Test which includes 10 questions designed to measure attention, orientation to time and space, as well as memory.

On a score basis of 70 percent or below, 212 subjects (12 percent) were considered to have cognitive impairment, according to the study.

Llewellyn and his colleagues found a noteworthy connection between lower vitamin D levels and impaired cognition.

Even after accounting for factors that affect the association, including underlying medical conditions, elderly subjects having the lowest vitamin D levels were found to be over two times as likely to experience cognitive impairment as those with the highest levels of this essential vitamin.

The researchers suggest that vitamin D levels may aid doctors in screening for cognitive impairment in the elderly.

However, in their conclusion, they recommend that more research is necessary “to investigate whether vitamin D supplementation is a cost effective way of reducing the incidence of cognitive impairment with few adverse events.”

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Nevertheless, it is necessary to ensure that we have sufficient supply of vitamin D in our system. And the best way to do that is to include foods containing this vitami in our diet, such as fish (tuna, mackerel, and salmon), fish liver oils, cheese, beef liver, egg yolks, and fortified milk, cereals and margarine. And to stimulate endogenous production of vitamin D, we need adequate exposure to early morning sunlight.