Older brains need more vitamin D

Whereas just a few years ago vitamin D was not thought to be significant in cognitive ability, recent research, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry disproves this entirely. In a study conducted in Manchester on three thousand European men it was shown that older people with large amounts of vitamin D in their bloodstream did better at mental and social tasks than did those with lower levels of the vitamin.

Vitamin D has been dubbed "the sunshine vitamin" as it is manufactured in the body after exposure to the sun. It is vital for enabling the bones to absorb calcium which is why most calcium supplements are a combination of both.

The current study follows on from one published in the Journal of Gerontology in 2007, which linked levels of vitamin D with physical abilities in older people. 900 people were tested for vitamin D in their blood and subsequently checked for speed of walking, ease of getting up from a chair and ability to maintain balance. Those with greater levels of vitamin D excelled at these tasks compared to those with lower levels.

This is good news for older people who can enjoy the sun. If not however, there are excellent vitamin D supplements which work just as effectively and without the risk of skin cancer.

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