Vitamin D for Mental Sharpness

If you want to keep your wits about you as you get older, make sure that you're getting enough vitamin D now. Lower blood levels of vitamin D may increase the chance of mental slippage among seniors, according to a study from a research team at England's Cambridge University. The investigators checked vitamin D levels and cognitive impairment among 1,766 persons 65 and older. They found that 212 patients (12 percent of the total) were cognitively impaired and that those who had the highest levels of vitamin D were least likely to have cognitive impairment. Participants whose vitamin D levels were lowest were more than twice as likely to have cognitive impairment. The researchers weren't sure exactly how vitamin D protects the brain but noted growing evidence "for previously unsuspected roles for vitamin D in brain development and neuroprotection." We don’t know yet whether vitamin D supplements can help seniors avoid cognitive impairment, but the researchers noted that the skin's ability to synthesize vitamin D in response to sun exposure diminishes with age. The study was published online December 10, 2008 in the Journal of Geriatric Psychology and Neurology.