News
Low vitamin D may be a risk factor for metabolic syndrome
5 July 2010
Insufficient levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome by about 40% in seniors, suggests a new Dutch study.
07 December 2012
Two new studies suggest that adequate intakes and blood concentrations of vitamin D may be preventive in cognitive decline and Alzheimer’s disease in older women.
In a French study, 498 women aged 75 years and older and free of vitamin D supplements were divided into three groups according to the onset of dementia within seven years: participants who developed Alzheimer’s disease (AD), other dementias or no dementia (1). The women’s vitamin D dietary intakes were estimated at the beginning of the study from a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. The study results showed that after considering potential confounders (e.g., initial cognitive performance, education level, physical activity, sun exposure, disability, number of chronic diseases, depression, use of psychoactive drugs, and season) higher vitamin D dietary intake was associated with a lower risk of developing AD. Women who developed Alzheimer’s disease had lower vitamin D intakes (an average of 50.3 µg per week) than those who developed other dementias (an average of 63.6 µg per week) or no dementia at all (an average of
59.0 µg per week).
In a US cohort study, blood vitamin D concentrations and the degree of cognitive decline was measured in 6,257 elderly women for four years (2). The study results showed that women with very low vitamin D levels (below 10 ng/mL resp. 25 nmol/L) had a significantly higher risk of developing cognitive impairment than participants with higher blood vitamin D concentrations (above 30 ng/mL resp. 75 nmol/L). Among cognitive-ly-impaired women, low vitamin D levels (less than 20 ng/mL) were associated with a higher risk of cognitive decline.
Earlier studies had already associated insufficient vitamin D intakes and blood concentrations with cognitive decline among older adults (3). The relationship between vitamin D and cognitive decline is not well under-stood.
5 July 2010
Insufficient levels of vitamin D may increase the risk of metabolic syndrome by about 40% in seniors, suggests a new Dutch study.
6 December 2013
A new review from France suggests that existing study data indicating that increased blood vitamin D concentrations are associated with a reduction in the risk of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular events, diabetes and related mortality, does not prove that vitamin D supplementation can prevent those diseases. Experts commented that, although evidence in non-bone-health-related chronic disease prevention is missing, there is good reason to ensure that the vitamin D supply is adequate.
19 September 2014
A new review confirms that adequate intakes of omega-3 fatty acids in pregnancy, lactation and infancy promote the health of mother and child.