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For a Better Brain, Take a Walk on the Sunny Side
A recent study published in the journal, Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders 1, points to Vitamin D as a potent correlate of cognitive function. Researchers in the Netherlands looked at blood levels of Vitamin D3 in 235 outpatients who had been diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s disease. They found that patients who were deficient in vitamin D3 scored significantly lower on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) than those who had sufficient levels of D3.
“But,” you may say, “subjects in this study had already had memory problems or they wouldn’t have been diagnosed with probable Alzheimer’s disease. Therefore, taking vitamin D clearly does not prevent Alzheimer’s.”
You would be right. This study does not show that vitamin D prevents Alzheimer’s. What it does show is that vitamin D may reduce cognitive decline in the elderly.
Researchers in Wisconsin 2 found a similar result when they studied 80 patients who experienced memory problems. Among those patients, levels of vitamin D were significantly and positively correlated with their MMSE scores. In other words, in spite of their memory problems, patients with high levels of vitamin D functioned at a higher cognitive level than those who were vitamin D deficient.
So how do you get sufficient levels of vitamin D3?
Simple. Whenever possible, take a walk in the sun.
Some scientists suggest that you expose your skin to the sun one minute daily for each five degrees you live north of the equator. You can easily determine your latitude from Google or Mapquest.com.
Not only is your location a factor in the amount of vitamin D your skin produces, but the amount of clothing you wear, the time of day you are outside, the natural darkness of your skin (dark skinned people produce less vitamin D), and the time of the year are also important contributors.
But my doctor says “never go outside without sunscreen
Sunscreens protect your skin against harmful radiation. However, they reduce the amount of Vitamin D your skin can produce by as much as 85%, so expose your skin to sunlight for only a few minutes to produce both the right amount and the right kind of vitamin D. In addition, not all scientists agree on the safety of sunscreen. When you will be outdoors for longer periods of time, protection is a must, but it can be provided by clothing such as long-sleeved shirts, using sunscreen only on uncovered areas of skin.
What happens in winter?
If you live well north of the equator and spend much of the fall and winter months indoors, you’ll need a supplement. Check the product label. It should contain the more expensive D3, the vitamin produced by your skin, not the more common D2, a plant-produced vitamin. When you think about the improvement in brain functioning you receive from vitamin D, you’ll find that it’s a small price to pay.
References
1Oudshoorn C, Mattace-Raso FU, van der Velde N, Colin EM, van der Cammen TJ. Higher serum vitamin D3 levels are associated with better cognitive test performance in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2008;25(6):539-43.
2Przybelski RJ, Binkley NC. Is vitamin D important for preserving cognition? A positive correlation of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration with cognitive function. Alzheimer’s disease. Arch Biochem Biophys. 2007 Apr 15;460(2):202-5. Epub 2007 Jan
March 29th, 2009 at 5:56 am
I like your blog and wanted to say keep up the good work. Do you plan on posting more soon?
August 28th, 2009 at 11:20 am
I like your blog and wanted to say keep up the good work. Do you plan on posting more soon?;. All the best!!