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Published on: January 24, 2020
Impact of Vitamin D Supplementation on Cognition in Adults With Mild to Moderate Vitamin D Deficiency: Outcomes From
Anne Corbett1, Rod Taylor2, David Llewellyn1
1Department of Health & Community Sciences, University of Exeter Medical School, University of Exeter, Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom.
Objectives:
Preserved cognitive health with ageing is a public health imperative. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with poor cognition, but it is unclear whether supplementation would provide benefit, particularly in individuals with mild/moderate deficiencies which do not have other clinical risks. The objective of this study was to establish the impact of daily vitamin D supplementation on cognition in older adults with mild to moderate vitamin D deficiency.
Design:
Two-arm, parallel, 24-month randomized controlled trial, with vitamin D supplementation compared with a placebo.
Setting And Participants:
This was a remote trial, completed from home involving 620 adults, aged ≥ 50 years, with mild to moderate vitamin D deficiency and early cognitive impairment.
Methods:
The primary outcome was executive function measured through Trail Making Test Part B and other secondary measures of cognition, function, and well-being.
Results:
Vitamin D supplementation conferred no significant benefit to executive function compared with placebo at follow-up on the primary outcome (between-group difference, 5770; 95% CI, -2189 to 13,730) or cognition, function, or well-being. Secondary analyses in defined subgroups and a per-protocol analysis also showed no significant impact on any outcome measures.
Conclusions And Implications:
Vitamin D supplementation produced no measurable improvement in cognitive outcomes in older adults with mild to moderate vitamin D deficiency. The remote trial methodology provides an innovative approach to large-scale trials.
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