Scientists have linked vitamin D to improved memory and thinking in the elderly

Elderly people with mild cognitive impairment and sleep problems who took at least 5,000 international units of vitamin D daily showed higher cognitive test results than participants who did not take the supplement. About how vitamin D was associated with brain function, why the period of the first cognitive changes may be especially important, and what role sleep plays in this, see the Izvestia article.

Vitamin D was associated with higher test results

Researchers at Emory University studied the condition of 54 elderly people who simultaneously had sleep disorders and mild cognitive impairment. The participants informed the scientists about whether they were taking vitamin D supplements and in what amount. The researchers then compared these data with the results of the assessment of cognitive functions. The work was published in the journal Science Daily.

It turned out that participants who took at least 5,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D per day scored more than 13% more points on the Montreal Cognitive Function Scale (MoCA) than people who did not take vitamin D. The connection persisted even after the scientists took into account other factors that could influence the result. At the same time, lower daily doses of vitamin D were not associated with improved cognitive test scores.

The authors call the results preliminary: the study shows a link between vitamin D intake and cognitive performance, but does not in itself prove that supplements improve brain function.

What is mild cognitive impairment?

Mild cognitive impairment is a condition in which a person already has noticeable changes in cognitive functions, but they have not yet reached the level of severe dementia. That is why researchers consider such changes as an intermediate stage between the usual age-related changes in cognitive abilities and a more serious decline.

In the new study, the researchers combined two characteristics — mild cognitive impairment and sleep disorders. This choice was not accidental: both features can occur in the early stages of cognitive decline. The authors suggested that it is especially important to look for factors that can potentially be influenced by such a group.

Why have scientists linked vitamin D to sleep?

Researchers are paying attention to the possible connection of vitamin D with sleep quality and the sleep—wake cycle. Previously, deficiency of this substance was associated with sleep problems, including insomnia and more frequent awakenings at night. At the same time, sleep disorders themselves are widespread among people with Alzheimer's disease.

According to the data provided in the study, approximately 50% of people with moderate to severe Alzheimer's disease have sleep disorders. Scientists are talking about a possible two—way relationship: sleep problems may accompany cognitive decline, and deterioration of cognitive health may be associated with sleep disorders. Against this background, vitamin D becomes one of the factors that researchers propose to study further.

At the same time, the new work does not allow us to assert that taking vitamin D prevents Alzheimer's disease or treats cognitive impairments that have already occurred. The researchers only found a link between higher intake of the supplement and better cognitive test scores in a specific group of older adults with MCI and sleep problems.

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Why the results require further study

Of particular interest to scientists is precisely the early stage of cognitive decline. If changes in memory and thinking are already becoming noticeable, but severe dementia has not yet developed, researchers have the opportunity to look for factors that can potentially be changed. Vitamin D in this case is not considered as a proven treatment, but as one of the possible factors for further study.

The authors of the study believe that the combination of sleep disorders and mild cognitive impairment may be a particularly important period for such studies. In their opinion, the search for accessible and potentially modifiable factors in the early stages of cognitive decline is becoming increasingly relevant against the background of the increasing prevalence of Alzheimer's disease.

However, it is not yet possible to draw practical conclusions about the need to take high doses of vitamin D based on this work alone. The study was small and included only 54 people, and the participants provided their own data on taking supplements. Therefore, the obtained relationship will have to be verified in larger-scale studies.