Serum Vitamin D Concentrations and Cognitive Function in a Population-Based Study among Older Adults in South Germany
Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, DOI 10.3233/JAD-143219
Gabriele Nagel1, Florian Herbolsheimer1, 2, Matthias Riepe3, Thorsten Nikolaus4, Michael D. Denkinger4, Richard Peter1, 2, Gudrun Weinmayr1, Dietrich Rothenbacher1, Wolfgang Koenig5, Albert C. Ludolph6, Christine A.F. von Arnim6
1Institute of Epidemiology and Medical Biometry, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
2Institute of the History, Philosophy and Ethics of Medicine, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
3Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy II, Mental Health & Old Age Psychiatry, Günzburg University, Ulm, Germany
4Agaplesion Bethesda Clinic, Ulm, Germany
5Department of Internal Medicine II Cardiology, University of Ulm Medical Centre, Ulm, Germany
6Department of Neurology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
Our objective was to investigate the associations of vitamin D serum levels with dementia and cognitive function in specific domains in community dwelling older adults. Between 2009 and 2010, we conducted a cross-sectional study in 1,373 individuals (56% men) aged 65+ years in the “Activity and Function in the Elderly in Ulm” (ActiFE) study. Dementia was defined as a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score ≤ 24. The 25-OHD serum level [ng/mL] was measured by an electrochemilumineszenz immunoassay (ECLIA). Logistic regression models were used to calculate odds ratios (OR)s for cognitive domains (cut-point: 10th percentile) by serum 25-OHD concentrations (both continuously and by cut-point of 20 ng/ml for vitamin D deficiency). Mean age of the study population was 75.6 (SD 6.6) years. We identified 75 participants (43% women) with dementia. 25-OHD concentrations were significantly lower in the participants with dementia compared to persons with a MMSE score >24.
We also observed an association of continuous 25-OHD serum concentrations with prevalence of dementia (crude OR 1.05, 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.01–1.08, p-value 0.009) per 1 ng/mL decrease, after adjustment the OR was 1.03, 95% CI, 0.995–1.08 (p-value 0.09). Although vitamin D deficiency was tentatively associated with severity of dementia measured by MMSE (OR 1.35, 95% CI, 0.84–2.19), the association was not statistically significant. However, deficits in specific cognitive domains such as executive functions, wordlist encoding, and visual memory (encoding and recall) were significantly associated with low vitamin D concentration. Our results suggest an association between vitamin D deficiency and cognitive function in specific domains in community dwelling older adults.
See also VitaminDWiki
- 'Senior moment" 25X more likely with low vitamin D – Feb 2012
- Vitamin D reduces Alzheimer’s disease in at least 11 ways – Jan 2013
- Overview Alzheimer's-Cognition and Vitamin D has the following summary
- FACT: Cognitive decline is 19X more likely if low vitamin D
- FACT: Dementia is associated with low vitamin D levels.
- FACT: Alzheimer’s Dementia 2.3X more likely in elderly if low vitamin D – Dec 2022
- FACT: Dementia is associated with low vitamin D - many studies
- FACT: Alzheimer's Disease is 4X less likely if high vitamin D
- FACT: Every single risk factor listed for Alzheimer's Disease is also a risk factor for low vitamin D levels
- FACT: Elderly cognition gets worse as the elderly vitamin D levels get even lower (while in senior homes)
- OBSERVATION: Reports of increased vitamin D levels result in improved cognition
- OBSERVATION: Alzheimer’s patients 3X more likely to have a malfunctioning vitamin D receptor gene – 2012
- OBSERVATION: Alzheimer's Disease has been seen to halt when vitamin D was added.
- OBSERVATION: Alzheimer’s is associated with all 7 of the genes which restrict vitamin D
- OBSERVATION: 39 vitamin D and Alz. or Cognition intervention trials as of Sept 2018
- OBSERVATION: 2 Meta-analysis in 2012 agreed that Alzheimer's Disease. associated with low vitamin D
- OBSERVATION: 50X increase in Alzheimer's while decrease in vitamin D
- OBSERVATION: Vitamin D reduces Alzheimer’s disease in 11 ways
- OBSERVATION: Alzheimer’s cognition improved by 4,000 IU of vitamin D
- OBSERVATION: Plaque removed in mice by equiv. of 14,000 IU daily
- OBSERVATION: DDT (which decreases Vit D) increases risk of Alzheimer's by up to 3.8X
- OBSERVATION: 2% of people have 2 copies of the poor gene reference: Alz Org
- OBSERVATION: Genes do not change rapidly enough to account for the huge increase in incidence
- OBSERVATION: End of Alzheimer's videos, transcripts and many studies protocol has been very successful
- It adjusts Vitamin D, B-12, Iron, Omega-3, food, etc, and can now be done at home. $75/month.
- FACT: Vitamin D is extremely low cost and has very very few side effects
- CONCLUSION: Everyone concerned about cognitive decline or Alzheimer's Disease should take vitamin D
- PREDICTION MET: By 2024 Omega-3 and high dose Vitamin D will be found to reverse Alzheimer's in humans
There are 13+ Alzheimer’s meta-analyses in VitaminDWiki
There are 97+ Alzheimer’s studies in VitaminDWiki
Dementia is associated with low vitamin D - many studies 50+ studies
16+ studies in both categories Cognitive and Omega-3