A brain with more vitamin D works better

Overview: Older adults with cognitive decline who had high vitamin D levels in the brain performed better than adults of the same age who had low vitamin D levels.

sauce: Tufts University

An estimated 55 million people worldwide have dementia, and this number is expected to increase as the world’s population ages. Scientists need a better understanding of the factors that can cause dementia in order to find treatments that can slow or stop the disease.

Researchers at Tufts University have completed the first study to examine levels of vitamin D in brain tissue. They found that members of this group with higher vitamin D levels in the brain had better cognitive function.

This study was published on December 7. Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

“This study highlights the importance of studying how foods and nutrients create resilience that protects the aging brain from diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias.” Tufts Aging ( HNRCA) and Chief Scientist on the HNRCA’s Vitamin K Team.

Vitamin D supports many functions in the body, including the immune response and maintaining healthy bones. Dietary sources include fatty fish and fortified beverages (such as milk and orange juice). Even short exposure to sunlight can provide vitamin D.

“Although many studies, including many on vitamin D, have implicated dietary and nutritional factors in cognitive performance and function in older adults, they have all been based on dietary vitamin D intake or blood measurements. value-based,” says lead author Kyla Shea, a scientist on the Vitamin K team and associate professor at Tufts’ Friedman School of Nutrition, Science and Policy.

“We wanted to know whether vitamin D is present in the brain and, if so, how their levels are associated with cognitive decline.

Booth, Shea, and their team examined brain tissue samples from 209 participants in the Rush Memory and Aging Project, a long-term study of Alzheimer’s disease that began in 1997. Researchers at Rush University assessed the participants’ cognitive function. They analyzed irregularities in postmortem brain tissue, with no signs of age-related cognitive impairment.

In the Tufts study, researchers looked for vitamin D in four areas of the brain. Two of his areas are associated with Alzheimer’s disease-related changes, one is related to blood flow-related forms of dementia, and one area is known to be associated with Alzheimer’s disease-related cognitive decline. It is not Disease or vascular disease.

They found that vitamin D is actually present in brain tissue, and that higher vitamin D levels in all four areas of the brain correlated with improved cognitive function.

However, levels of vitamin D in the brain were not associated with any of the physiological markers associated with Alzheimer’s disease in the brain that were studied. This includes evidence of amyloid plaque accumulation, Lewy body disease, or chronic or microscopic stroke. This means that exactly how vitamin D affects brain function is still unknown.

“Dementia is multifactorial and many of its underlying pathological mechanisms are poorly characterized,” says Shea. “Vitamin D may be related to results that we haven’t seen yet, but we plan to study in the future.”

Vitamin D is also known to vary by race and ethnicity, and most participants in the original Rush cohort were Caucasian. The researchers plan follow-up studies using a more diverse group of subjects to look at other brain changes associated with cognitive decline. We hope this will help you better understand the role vitamin D plays.

However, experts warn people not to use large doses of vitamin D supplements as a precaution. is 800 IU. Excessive amounts can be harmful and are associated with risk of falls.

“Vitamin D has been found to be present in reasonable amounts in the human brain and appears to be correlated with less cognitive decline,” says Shay. Before we begin, more research is needed to identify neuropathologies in which vitamin D is associated in the brain.”

Funding: Research reported in this article was supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute on Aging under award numbers R01AG051641 and R01AG17917, and the Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Full information on authors, funders and conflicts of interest is available in the published paper. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or the United States Department of Agriculture.

See also

About this Vitamin D and Cognitive Research News

author: Tara Combed
sauce: Tufts University
contact: Tara Pettinato – Tufts University
image: image is public domain

Original research: open access.
“Brain vitamin D forms, cognitive decline, and neuropathology in community-dwelling older adultsBy Sarah Booth et al. Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

Overview

Brain vitamin D forms, cognitive decline, and neuropathology in community-dwelling older adults

prologue

Vitamin D has been shown to protect against cognitive decline and dementia based on observational data using circulating 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D). Little is known about the relationship between vitamin D in the human brain and dementia or neuropathology.

method

Descendant of Rush Memory and Aging Project (n = 290) had vitamin D concentrations measured in four regions of the brain. Associations with cognitive and neuropathological outcomes were estimated using linear and logistic regression.

result

The predominant form of vitamin D in all brain regions measured was 25(OH)D.₃Higher brain 25(OH)D₃ Concentration was associated with 25% to 33% lower odds of dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) at last visit before death (all P. ≤ .031). However, brain 25(OH)D concentrations were not associated with the postmortem neuropathological outcomes studied.

discussion

Higher brain 25(OH)D₃ Concentration was associated with better cognitive function before death. Additional studies are needed to clarify the specific mechanisms underlying this potential protective relationship.