New research suggests that low vitamin D levels in the body are associated with thinking or "cognitive" impairments in older men, but whether vitamin D supplements can help is not yet known.
In the study, an investigation of European men, subjects with low levels of vitamin D scored worse on a standard test of cognitive ability than did their peers with normal levels, Dr David M. Lee, from the University of Manchester, UK, and co-researchers found. Although, the authors emphasise, the difference in scores was not that great. The researchers report their findings report in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry.
As vitamin D levels fell, so did cognitive performance. Further analysis indicated that this relationship was largely confined to men over age 60 and was strongest with vitamin D levels below 35 nanomoles per liter.