Low Vitamin D Status Associated with Cognitive Impairment

by | Jun 1, 2022 | 2022, Brain Health, Cognitive Health, Vitamin D - Mental Health

Written by Jessica Patella, ND.  Results from this study suggest 15-minutes of time outside and/or supplementing with vitamin D should be considered for the elderly in community-dwelling locations.

vitamin DPreliminary research suggests that vitamin D receptors are widely distributed in brain cells 1.  This would indicate that the brain is able to synthesize, breakdown and receive vitamin D, which regulates many cellular processes in neurons 2,3.  These findings lead researchers to question vitamin D levels in relation to cognitive abilities and fragility in the elderly 2.  The researchers found a correlation between low vitamin D levels and cognitive decline 2.

Fragility in the elderly relates to the reduction in bone and skeletal muscle mass, which also results in an increase in adipose tissue 2,4.  In addition, when someone ages, the parathyroid glands remodels, resulting in less parathyroid hormone, which effects pro-hormone vitamin D 2,5.  Previous research has found that vitamin D has a role in clearing amyloid plaques 6.  Therefore, there is evidence that vitamin D may help with cognitive decline by removing amyloid plaques, and yet due to the physiology of the parathyroid, vitamin D levels will decrease with age.  Yet, research has been conflicting.  The aim of this current study was to simply measure vitamin D levels and determine if there was a correlation in the data that would support the above findings.

The research included 509 adults from 64-92 years of age (average age 79 +/- 5 years) that did not supplement vitamin D.  The participants were diagnosed with the following: Mild cognitive impairment (n=176), mixed dementia (n=133), Alzheimer’s Disease (n=59), idiopathic Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (n=26) and a total of 115 were without cognitive decline, all residing in a community-dwelling 2.  In all participants blood levels of vitamin D (25-hydroxyvitamin D) were measured along with frailty (frailty index) and the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) 2.

The results were as follows:

  • There was a positive association between vitamin D levels and mental status (MMSE) (R2 =0.06, p<0.001). Indicating an improvement in mental state with increased vitamin D.
  • Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease and Mixed dementia showed the lowest vitamin D levels (12 ng/mL, 10 ng/mL respectively).
  • Patients with mild cognitive impairment showed higher levels of vitamin D than the other groups (17 ng/mL).
  • Frailty levels did not appear to have a role in MMSE with vitamin D levels.

Based on these findings it is important to note that blood levels of vitamin D below 20ng/mL is considered a deficiency.  Therefore, the majority of the elderly in the community-dwelling from this study were deficient in vitamin D.

In conclusion, an association between low vitamin D levels and cognitive decline, regardless of frailty status, in community-dwelling elderly was observed.  These findings suggest 15-minutes of time outside and/or supplementing with vitamin D should be considered for the elderly in community-dwelling locations 2.

Source: Arosio, Beatrice, Paolo Dionigi Rossi, Evelyn Ferri, Matteo Cesari, and Giovanni Vitale. “Characterization of Vitamin D Status in Older Persons with Cognitive Impairment.” Nutrients 14, no. 6 (2022): 1142.

© 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).

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Posted June 1, 2022.

Jessica Patella, ND, is a naturopathic physician specializing in nutrition and homeopathic medicine and offers a holistic approach to health. She earned her ND from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, AZ, and is a member of the North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Visit her website at www.awarenesswellness.com.

References:

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  2. Arosio B, Rossi PD, Ferri E, Cesari M, Vitale G. Characterization of Vitamin D Status in Older Persons with Cognitive Impairment. Nutrients. 2022;14(6):1142.
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