ST. LOUIS—Vitamin D deficiency may adversely impact both mood and cognitive performance in older adults, according to researchers from Washington University School of Medicine (Am J Geriatr Psychiatry, 14:1032-40, 2006). The study included 40 participants with mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and 40 nondemented persons; cognitive function, clinical dementia rating (CDR), mood and functional status were assessed with mental exams and clinician diagnoses. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D were also measured.
The mean vitamin D level in the total sample was 18.58 ng/mL; 58 percent of participants had abnormally low vitamin D levels, defined as less than 20 ng/Ml. After adjusting for age, race, gender and season of vitamin D determination, deficiency in vitamin D was associated with presence of an active mood disorder, worse performance on two cognitive tests, and a higher CDR rating.
