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Inadequate dietary intake of vitamin D is associated with higher levels of cognitive impairment; however it remains unclear if the link is causal, according to a new study.
The study, published in Neurology, suggests that a weekly intake of less than 35 mcg of vitamin D is associated with a greater incidence of cognitive impairment. However, the researchers noted that the association could be causal in either direction, stating it is possible that low vitamin D is a result of, rather than the cause of, cognitive impairment.
“The main finding of this population-based study…was that the weekly dietary intake of vitamin D was significantly associated with the global cognitive performance in both linear and logistic regression models, even while considering the effects of all potential confounders,” said the researchers, led by Dr. Cedric Annweiler from Angers University Hospital, France.
Cognitive performance declines naturally as we age, but it has been suggested that vitamin D status could have an impact on cognitive function among older adults.
It is suggested that vitamin D binds to neuronal receptors in the brain and develops an anti-neurodegenerative action. Many people have therefore recommended that maintaining an adequate vitamin D status is essential to avoid vitamin D deficiency-induced cognitive decline.
Researchers involved in the current study said: “We had the opportunity to examine the association between dietary intakes of vitamin D and global cognitive performance in a large representative community survey of older women.”
A group of 5,596 women not taking vitamin D supplements was divided into two groups according to their baseline weekly status: either inadequate (less than 35 mcg per week) or recommended (more than 35 mcg per week).
Compared to women with recommended weekly vitamin D dietary intakes, women with inadequate intakes were reported to have lower scores on the short portable mental status questionnaire (SPMSQ). The researchers observed that inadequate intakes were more often associated with cognitive impairment, as defined by an SPMSQ score of less than eight.
“We found an association between weekly vitamin D dietary intake and SPMSQ score. Inadequate weekly vitamin D dietary intakes were also associated with cognitive impairment,” the researchers wrote.
They stated that it remains a possibility that low vitamin D status may be a result of poor diet, due to cognitive decline. But, they emphasized that vitamin D insufficiency has been suggested as a contributing factor to hypertension, which itself is a major risk factor in the development of cerebrovascular diseases and cognitive decline.
Neurology 74(1):27-32, 2010
