(OrganicJar) New research suggests that low vitamin D levels in the body are associated with thinking or cognitive impairments in older men. In the study participants with low levels of vitamin D scored worse on a standard test of cognitive ability than did their peers with normal levels

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.

The Study:

Included in the investigation were 3133 men, 40 to 79 years of age, who were enrolled in the European Male Aging Study (EMAS). The average level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D, an inactive form of vitamin D used to measure levels of the vitamin, was 63 nanomoles per liter. Levels of 90 to 140 nanomoles per liter are typically considered optimal.

What is Vitamin D:

Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. It is also produced endogenously when ultraviolet rays from sunlight strike the skin and trigger vitamin D synthesis.

Vitamin D is essential for promoting calcium absorption in the gut and maintaining adequate serum calcium and phosphate concentrations to enable normal mineralization of bone It’s also important for proper immune function and reduction of inflammation.

My Thoughts:

With our busy lives it’s easy to become deficient in vitamin D. I personally try to take a 15min break several times a day and go for a walk outside, which is the simplest, least expensive way of getting vitamin D.

However, if you can’t do that, the best food sources are the flesh of fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) and fish liver oils. You can also take a daily supplement. I recommend Vitamin D3 by Solgar (as cholecalciferol naturally occurring from fish liver oil).

What are your thoughts?

Source: reuters.com wikipedia.org