Higher Vitamin D Levels May Provide Cognitive Function Benefits

Previous research has found that vitamin D deficiency may be bad for cardiovascular health. Now a new study suggests that higher blood concentrations of vitamin D may provide cognitive function benefits.

Participants in the study included 418 adults with an average age of 63. Half of them had mild cognitive impairment and half did not. Serum concentrations of vitamin D and an oxygenated derivative of cholesterol were measured. Mental, verbal, and auditory cognitive tests were administered to evaluate cognitive function.

The researchers found that participants who were vitamin D deficient (serum vitamin D levels less than 20.0 ng/mL) were found to be 3 times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment compared to those with vitamin D concentrations greater than 30 20.0 ng/mL.

They also found that participants with adequate vitamin D concentrations had lower total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels.

The study was conducted by researchers from Beijing, China Capital Medical University. It was published online ahead of print on September 11, 2011 in The Journal of Nutrition.