MANCHESTER, United Kingdom—Middle-aged and older men who have higher levels of vitamin D—primarily synthesized in the skin following sun exposure and found in certain foods such as oily fish—have improved cognitive function, according to new research from the University of Manchester.
The study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, compared the cognitive performance of more than 3,000 men aged 40 to 79 years at eight test centers across Europe. Men with higher levels of vitamin D performed consistently better in a simple and sensitive neuropsychological test that assesses an individual’s attention and speed of information processing.
“Previous studies exploring the relationship between vitamin D and cognitive performance in adults have produced inconsistent findings but we observed a significant, independent association between a slower information processing speed and lower levels of vitamin D,” said lead author Dr. David Lee, in Manchester’s School of Translational Medicine. “Interestingly, the association between increased vitamin D and faster information processing was more significant in men aged over 60 years, although the biological reasons for this remain unclear.”