A new large-scale senior population study has found that a lack of vitamin D in the elderly could be linked to cognitive impairment. The study, conducted on almost 2,000 adults over the age of 65, is the first of its scale to identify this relationship, and prompted researchers to suggest vitamin D supplementation as a possible means of reducing the risk of dementia. The findings from the researchers at the Peninsula Medical School, the University of Cambridge and the University of Michigan revealed that compared to those with optimum levels of vitamin D, those with the lowest levels were more than twice as likely to be cognitively impaired.
The elderly, in particular, are at risk of deficiency as the skin’s capacity to absorb vitamin D from the sun decreases with age. According to the researchers of the new study, which will appear in the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Geriatric Psychology and Neurology, 1,766 participants (708 men and 1,058 women) participated in the Health Survey for England in 2000. Their levels of cognitive function were assessed using the Abbreviated Mental Test (AMT), a common neurocognitive screening instrument. Fasting blood samples were also taken, and levels of serum 25(OH)D were measured.
Their findings revealed that people with normal cognitive function had higher levels of serum 25(OH)D than those who were cognitively impaired. Those with the lowest serum 25(OH)D concentrations were four times more likely to be cognitively impaired.
Bonnie - testing 25(OH)D levels at any age is crucial. The elderly are at particular risk for low levels because of lack of sun exposure and reduced ability to absorb critical nutrients.
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