Effects of vitamin D supplementation on cognitive and emotional functioning in young adults--a randomised controlled trial.
PLoS One. 2011;6(11):e25966. Epub 2011 Nov 4.
Dean AJ a.dean at uq.edu.au , Bellgrove MA, Hall T, Phan WM, Eyles DW, Kvaskoff D, McGrath JJ.
Queensland Brain Institute, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Australia
BACKGROUND:
Epidemiological research links vitamin D status to various brain-related outcomes. However, few trials examine whether supplementation can improve such outcomes and none have examined effects on cognition. This study examined whether Vitamin D supplementation led to improvements in diverse measures of cognitive and emotional functioning, and hypothesised that supplementation would lead to improvements in these outcomes compared to placebo.
METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:
Healthy young adults were recruited to a parallel-arm, double-blind trial conducted at The University of Queensland. Participants were randomly allocated to receive Vitamin D (one capsule daily, containing 5000 IU cholecalciferol) or identical placebo capsule for six weeks. All participants and outcome assessors were blinded to group assignment.
Primary outcome measures assessed at baseline and 6 weeks were
- working memory,
- response inhibition and
- cognitive flexibility.
Secondary outcomes were:
- hallucination-proneness,
- psychotic-like experiences, and
- ratings of depression, anxiety and anger.
128 participants were recruited, randomised and included in primary analyses (vitamin D n = 63; placebo n = 65). Despite significant increases in vitamin D status in the active group, no significant changes were observed in working memory (F = 1.09; p = 0.30), response inhibition (F = 0.82; p = 0.37), cognitive flexibility (F = 1.37; p = 0.24) or secondary outcomes. No serious adverse effects were reported.
CONCLUSIONS:
Our findings indicate that vitamin D supplementation does not influence cognitive or emotional functioning in healthy young adults. Future controlled trials in targeted populations of interest are required to determine whether supplementation can improve functioning in these domains. Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry; ACTRN12610000318088.
PMID: 22073146
The PDF is attached to the bottom of this page
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All participants started with 30 ng vitamin D levels
People with cognitive problems typically have much lower levels
Would not anticipate much cognitive improvement when increasing fro 30 ng to 40 ng
See also VitaminDWiki
- Overview Cognition and vitamin D
- Poorer teen cognition due to lower vitamin D or race – Dec 2010
- Dementia 19X more likely if < 10 ng of vitamin D – Jan 2012
- Risk of cognitive decline 50 percent higher if <15 ng vitamin D – Aug 2011
- Cognitive impairment 4X more likely when vitamin D less than 10 ng – Nov 2010
- Hypothesis - Vitamin D reduce risk of Dementia - 2009 by Grant - a file, not a web page
- Do Vitamin D Deficiency and Cognitive Decline Go Hand-in-Hand? – Jan 2010
- Vitamin D less than 10ng associated with cognitive decline – July 2010
- 73 % of Australians had too little vitamin D – Dec 2011
- Low Vitamin D Levels Associated With Increased Risk for Cognitive Impairment - July 2010
- Mood disorders 11X worse for older adults with low vitamin D – 2006