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Posted on Jan 29, 2016, 6 a.m.
Higher vitamin D levels in midlife may predict better cognitive skills later in life.
Cognitive reserve refers to the capacity for the thinking, memory, and learning skills to be resilient against damage that may otherwise be incurred by the brain. Previous studies suggest that education is a strong modulator of cognitive reserve, improving the brain’s ability to cope with neurological damage. KE Assmann, from Universite Paris (France), and colleagues utilized standardized tests to assess lexical-semantic memory, episodic memory, short-term memory, working memory, and mental flexibility, in 1,009 men and women, ages 45 to 60 years. Blood samples were taken to evaluate circulating Vitamin D levels (measured as 25-Hydroxyvitamin). The investigators found that higher vitamin D levels in midlife predicted better cognitive skills 13 years later. As well, the team observed that Vitamin D status was most strongly associated with working memory among the subjects with lower education, thereby “suggesting a modifying effect of cognitive reserve.” The study authors report that: “higher midlife vitamin D concentrations were linked to better outcomes concerning short-term and working memory.”
Assmann KE, Touvier M, Andreeva VA, Deschasaux M, Constans T, Hercberg S, Galan P, Kesse-Guyot E. “Midlife plasma vitamin D concentrations and performance in different cognitive domains assessed 13 years later.” Br J Nutr. 2015 Apr 13:1-10.
