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Vitamin D and executive functioning: Are higher levels better?

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Summary

Higher vitamin D levels (25-hydroxyvitamin D) are linked to improved verbal fluency. Supratherapeutic vitamin D concentrations may be optimal for executive functions, suggesting current sufficiency cutoffs might be too low for cognitive benefits.

Keywords:
Vitamin Dcognitionexecutive functioning

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Endocrinology
  • Nutritional Science

Background:

  • Vitamin D deficiency is linked to cognitive decline, especially executive functioning.
  • Optimal vitamin D levels for cognitive health remain unclear.
  • Existing sufficiency levels are based on bone health, not cognition.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if supratherapeutic vitamin D levels (≥100 nmol/L) enhance executive functioning compared to sufficient levels (≥50 or ≥75 nmol/L).
  • To examine the relationship between various 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] concentrations and cognitive performance.

Main Methods:

  • 142 healthy adults were assessed on executive functions (verbal fluency, spatial working memory) and attention/memory.
  • Participants were grouped by 25(OH)D levels: insufficient (<50), low sufficient (50-74), high sufficient (75-99), and supratherapeutic (≥100 nmol/L).
  • Analyses of covariance, multiple regression, and spline analyses were used, controlling for confounders.

Main Results:

  • Vitamin D status significantly impacted verbal fluency (p=.048), with supratherapeutic levels showing better performance.
  • Individuals with supratherapeutic vitamin D (≥100 nmol/L) produced more words than insufficient (p=.007) and low sufficient (p=.026) groups.
  • A positive, near-linear association was observed between verbal fluency and 25(OH)D levels up to and exceeding 100 nmol/L.

Conclusions:

  • Supratherapeutic vitamin D levels are associated with enhanced verbal fluency.
  • Current vitamin D sufficiency cutoffs may not be optimal for cognitive function.
  • Levels exceeding 100 nmol/L may be optimal for certain executive functions.