Vitamin
D deficiency and cognitive impairment are common in older adults, but there
isn't a lot of conclusive research into whether there's a relationship between
the two.
A
new study from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center published online ahead of
print this month in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society enhances the existing
literature on the subject.
"This
study provides increasing evidence that suggests there is an association
between low vitamin D levels and cognitive decline over time," said lead
author Valerie Wilson, M.D., assistant professor of geriatrics at Wake Forest
Baptist. "Although this study cannot establish a direct cause and effect
relationship, it would have a huge public health implication if vitamin D
supplementation could be shown to improve cognitive performance over time
because deficiency is so common in the population."
Wilson
and colleagues were interested in the association between vitamin D levels and
cognitive function over time in older adults. They used data from the Health,
Aging and Body composition (Health ABC) study to look at the relationship. The
researchers looked at 2,777 well-functioning adults aged 70 to 79 whose
cognitive function was measured at the study's onset and again four years
later. Vitamin D levels were measured at the 12-month follow-up visit.
The
Health ABC study cohort consists of 3,075 Medicare-eligible, white and black,
well-functioning, community-dwelling older adults who were recruited between
April 1997 and June 1998 from Pittsburgh, Pa., and Memphis, Tenn.
"With
just the baseline observational data, you can't conclude that low vitamin D
causes cognitive decline. When we looked four years down the road, low vitamin
D was associated with worse cognitive performance on one of the two cognitive
tests used," Wilson said. "It is interesting that there is this
association and ultimately the next question is whether or not supplementing
vitamin D would improve cognitive function over time."
Wilson
said randomized, controlled trials are needed to determine whether vitamin D
supplementation can prevent cognitive decline and definitively establish a
causal relationship.
"Doctors need this information to
make well-supported recommendations to their patients," Wilson said.
"Further research is also needed to evaluate whether specific cognitive
domains, such as memory versus concentration, are especially sensitive to low
vitamin D levels."
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