Vitamin D Linked to Cognitive Acuity

Whereas some studies suggest that low Vitamin D has associates with cognitive decline among older adults, the relationship is not well understood.  Cedric Annweiler, from Angers University Hospital (France), and colleagues studied data from 498 community-dwelling women who participated in the Toulouse cohort of the Epidemiology of Osteoporosis study.  Among this population, women who developed Alzheimer’s disease had lower baseline vitamin D intakes (an average of 50.3 micrograms per week) than those who developed other dementias (an average of 63.6 micrograms per week) or no dementia at all (an average of 59.0 micrograms per week), findings that suggest that higher vitamin D dietary intake associates with a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.  Separately, Yelena Slinin, from the VA Medical Center (Minnesota, USA), and colleagues analyzed data collected on 257 community-dwelling older women who had vitamin D levels measured during the Study of Osteopathic Fractures and who underwent standardized assessment for cognitive function, revealing that low vitamin D levels among older women are associated with higher odds of global cognitive impairment and a higher risk of global cognitive decline.