Weekly Health Care

Posts Tagged ‘cognitive decline’

Two new studies presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology, confirms previous studies indicating that vitamin D deficiency in older people is associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline.

Vitamin D appears to have anti-inflammatory effects that may help keep blood vessels healthy. And the presence of vitamin D receptors in the brain suggests that it can directly affect brain tissue.

Amie Peterson of the Oregon Health & Science University and colleagues conducted the study with 150 people aged 70 and over (85 years on average) living independently.

The levels of vitamin D ranged from 9-90 nanograms per milliliter of blood. Levels of 30 or more are considered normal.

The more cognitive test scores were low, the levels of vitamin D were low. Lower levels of vitamin D were also associated with greater risk of falling.

A second study, led by Cedric Annweiler University Hospital of Angers and his colleagues, involved 752 women aged 75 and over in France. A total of 129 women had levels below 10 nanograms per milliliter. Compared to women with higher levels, they were twice as likely to have cognitive impairment.

Further studies are needed to determine the causal relationship between vitamin D and cognitive decline. It is possible that the cognitive decline limit the level of sun exposure by limiting activities.