We have heard thousands of time about the utility of Vitamin D. Sun is the good source of vitamin D. Other foods in which this vitamin is found include: fish, eggs, fortified milk, and cod liver oil. The term “vitamin D” refers to various other forms of this vitamin. Two forms which are important in human beings include: ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) and cholecalciferol (vitamin D3). Vitamin D2 is synthesized by plants. Vitamin D3 is synthesized by humans in the skin when it is exposed to ultraviolet-B (UVB) rays from sunlight. Foods may be fortified with vitamin D2 or D3.
Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded scientists have founded an evidence of a link between vitamin D and cognitive function. Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of age-related dementia, affects about 47 percent of adults aged 85 years or older in the United States. Identifying nutritional factors that lower cognitive dysfunction and help preserve independent living provides economic and public health benefits, according to authors.
The study carried on 1,000 participants and was led by epidemiologist Katherine Tucker with the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University in Boston, Mass have revealed that Metabolic pathways for vitamin D have been found in the hippocampus and cerebellum areas of the brain involved in planning, processing, and forming new memories. This suggests that vitamin D may be implicated in cognitive processes.
Outcome of the study
- The researchers evaluated associations between measured vitamin D blood concentrations and neuropsychological tests.
- Elders requiring home care have a higher risk of not getting enough vitamin D because of limited sunlight exposure and other factors.
