Vitamin D Levels and Cognition in Elderly Adults in China

Abstract

Objectives To evaluate the association between vitamin D status and cognitive impairment (CI) in elderly aged 60 years and above Design Cross-sectional cohort study Setting Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, a community-based cohort study in longevity areas in China Participants Individuals with mean age of 84.9 (± 12.7) (n=2004) Measurements Participants’ cognitive state was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Vitamin D in plasma was measured using enzyme-linked immunoassay. Results The cross-sectional association between quartiles of plasma vitamin D level and CI (MMSE score <18) was modeled using logistic regressions. Plasma vitamin D levels were lower in individuals with CI compared to those without (31.9 (±15.3) versus 45.6 (±19.6)nmol/L). There was a reverse association between plasma vitamin D and CI. After adjusting for age, gender, chronic conditions, smoking and drinking habits, outdoor activities, depression, and Activities of Daily Living limitations, the association remained significant. The multivariable adjusted odds ratio for lowest versus highest vitamin D levels was 2.15 (1.05–4.41) for CI, and the multivariable odds ratio associated with 1-SD decrement of plasma vitamin D was 1.32 (1.00–1.74) for CI. Conclusion In our sample population, low plasma vitamin D levels were associated with increased odds of CI. Further prospective studies in Asian populations are needed to examine the causal direction of this association.

Serum vitamin D in patients with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease

“…Serum 25(OH)D 3 concentration is correlated with regional cerebral blood flow (Farid et al., ), brain volume and gray matter thickness (Brouwer‐Brolsma et al., ; Buell et al., ; Hooshmand, Lökk, & Solomon, ) and clearance of aggregated Aβ in the AD brain (Durk et al., ; Masoumi, Goldenson, & Ghirmai, ; Yu et al., ). On the other hand, low serum 25(OH)D 3 is associated with neuronal damages (Gezen‐AK, Yilmazer, & Dursun, ), MCI (Annweiler et al., ), multidomain MCI (Yin et al., ) and AD (Annweiler et al., ; Balion, Griffith, & Strifler, ; Chei et al., ; Littlejohns, Henley, & Lang, ). The present results showed that 25(OH)D 3 is involved in the decrease of MMSE, and predict MCI, mild AD, and moderate AD.…”

Vitamin D status among the elderly Chinese population: a cross-sectional analysis of the 2010–2013 China national nutrition and health survey (CNNHS)

“…Vitamin D status is related to many types of health outcomes among the elderly population and can contribute to musculoskeletal complications (including proximal myopathy, bone and muscle pain, secondary hyperparathyroidism, osteoporosis, and osteomalacia) [1], chronic diseases (cancer and cardiovascular diseases) [2], autoimmune diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis, scleroderma or systemic sclerosis, autoimmune thyroid diseases, rheumatoid arthritis and primary biliary cirrhosis) [3, 4], and psychotic disorders (depression, self-neglect and cognitive impairment) [5–7]. All these diseases can cause disability among the elderly.…”

Association of metabolic syndrome and 25‐hydroxyvitamin D with cognitive impairment among elderly Koreans

“…Vitamin D has shown direct protective effects against neurotoxic insults in vitro , and played an important role in neurotrophic factors in vivo . In addition, several cross‐sectional or longitudinal studies have reported the association of vitamin D deficiency and cognitive impairment . However, not all studies have shown this association …”