The Link between Cognitive Decline and Vitamin D Levels

Researchers are working hard to find the cause of Alzheimer’s disease as well as more effective treatments. The Medical News Today reports statistics show an estimated 6 million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in the US; and it is the sixth leading cause of death in America. Moreover, the number is set to grow to 13 million by 2050 due to the country’s aging population.

For the first time, an observational study has investigated the presence of vitamin D in the brain and its potential effect on cognitive outcomes. Before this study, scientists had been unsure if vitamin D was even present in the brain at all despite other research, which suggested a link between high blood levels of vitamin D and an association with less cognitive decline or dementia. The Tufts University in Massachusetts’s lead author, Kyla Shea, Ph.D. explains their observational study “found better cognitive function is associated with people who have higher concentrations of vitamin D in their brains.”

The study reports finding “vitamin D in the mid-temporal cortex, mid-frontal cortex, the cerebellum and anterior watershed white of the brain, all of which have been implicated in different types and stages of dementia, including AD and dementia with Lewy bodies.” However, the study researchers say there needs to be a larger study to further investigate the matter.

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Source: medicalnewstoday.com/articles/dementia-risk-low-levels-vitamin-d-linked-to-poor-cognitive-function