Vitamin D May Affect Brain Function

Vitamin D may help to protect the brain, two new studies suggest. One study looked at blood levels of vitamin D in 858 older adults. They also were given tests of various mental abilities. The study lasted 6 years. In that time, people with very low vitamin D levels were 60% more likely than others to have major declines in thinking, learning and memory. They were 31% more likely to have losses in executive function. This is the brain function that deals with organizing and planning. Study results appeared in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine. The other study was in the Archives of Neurology. It included nearly 3,200 older adults. They did not have Parkinson’s disease when the study began. During the next 29 years, 50 developed the disease. People with the highest vitamin D levels were 67% less likely to develop Parkinson’s than people with the lowest levels.