Hypovitaminosis D predicts more rapid and severe cognitive deterioration in ethnically diverse older adults with and without dementia

Commentary on: Miller JW, Harvey DJ, Beckett LA, et al.. Vitamin D status and rates of cognitive decline in a multiethnic cohort of older adults. JAMA Neurol 2015;72:1295–303. Implications for practice and research Hypovitaminosis D precedes and predicts incident declines in episodic memory and executive function in older adults with and without baseline dementia. This finding encourages testing the efficacy of vitamin D supplementation to slow down, prevent or even improve cognitive decline. These findings should encourage clinicians to correct hypovitaminosis D in elderly patients. Context Hypovitaminosis D is a rule rather than an exception in older adults, with a prevalence of up to 90% according to the definition used.1 There is a growing body of evidence linking vitamin D to non-skeletal targets, including brain health and function.2 The neurosteroid properties of vitamin D include, among others, regulation...
Source: Evidence-Based Nursing - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Care of the older person, Dementia, Stroke, Malnutrition, Memory disorders (psychiatry), Drugs: musculoskeletal and joint diseases Source Type: research