According to researchers with the UC Davis Alzheimer’s Disease Center and Rutgers University, vitamin D insufficiency among the elderly is highly correlated with accelerated cognitive decline and impaired performance, especially as it relates to memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia. The large, longitudinal study was conducted on just under 400 diverse men and women in Northern California (mean age 76 yrs) participating in research at the Alzheimer’s Disease Center in Sacramento. Participants were either cognitively normal, had mild cognitive impairment, or dementia. Over 5 years of follow-up, those that were vitamin D deficient experienced cognitive declines that were two to three times faster than those with adequate serum vitamin D levels. According to researchers, “We expected to see declines in individuals with low vitamin D status. What was unexpected was how profoundly and rapidly low vitamin D impacts cognition.” According to Charles DeCarli, director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Center, “This is a vitamin deficiency that could easily be treated and that has other health consequences. Dr. Miller, chair of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University stated that this work and others “suggests that there is enough evidence to recommend that people in their 60s and older discuss taking a daily vitamin D supplement with their physicians.”
Charles DeCarli, et al. Vitamin D Status and Rates of Cognitive Decline in a Multiethnic Cohort of Older Adults. JAMA Neurology, Sept 2015.
U. C. Davis Health System. Low vitamin D among elderly associated with decline in cognition, dementia. ScienceDaily, 14 Sept 2015