Vitamin D deficiency is linked with an accelerated decline in episodic memory and executive function performance, according to the recent research. Joshua Mille, professor in the department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at the time of research and now chair of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University said that the decline is two to three times faster in cases of low Vitamin D, and this is independent of race or ethnicity.
Though it is still not clear if the intake of vitamin D can decelerate or avert the memory loss but Miller still suggests one to measure the vitamin D level to know if the person needs more vitamin D or not.
Low vitamin D level is associated with the old age and links directly to the memory loss and lapse of executive function. According to the recent researches, the low level of vitamin D is directly related to declined cognitive abilities which later causes Alzheimer’s diseases and dementia.
According to the researchers at Rutgers University, the vitamin D deficiency can be boosted with supplements. The saddening results of the report show that 50% of Americans above 65 have insufficient levels of Vitamin D and that the probability of being Vitamin D deficient is highest I African origin people.
The research was conducted on 4000 people from racially and ethnically different men and women.
The direct connection between depression and low levels of vitamin D has already been shown by the previous researches but still the relation is not clearly established. Whether the low level of Vitamin D causes depression or depression triggers the decreased level of Vitamin D is not clear.
The impact of Vitamin D on mental health, however, reaches beyond depression as Schizophrenia has also been linked to abnormal Vitamin D levels.
On the basis of study done on 424 Danish newborns, John Mcgrath concluded that the children born in winter or spring are under greater threat of developing schizophrenia because they are born at a time when mothers have low Vitamin D.
The role of Vitamin D in the maintenance of bone health is crucial, and it can be found by sun exposures and plenty of Vitamin D foods like egg yolks, fish, etc. Still race plays an important role as Hispanic, and African-Americans are associated with low levels of vitamin D3. Some symptoms of Vitamin D deficiency are bone pain and muscle weakness.
Talking about the connection between Vitamin D levels and course of cognitive decline, on an average the level of Vitamin D is lower in dementia group as compared to mild mental impairment.
