One more reason to pop a vitamin D pill, especially at this time of year: low levels of this essential nutrient are now linked to cognitive problems as people get older.

The new evidence, published this month in the Journal of Geriatric Psychology and Neurology, shows that memory loss and other mental impairments are twice as common in people 65 and older who have the lowest levels of vitamin D, compared to those with the highest. The research, conducted by a team from the University of Cambridge and the University of Michigan, involved almost 2000 older adults.

“This is the first large-scale study to identify a relationship between vitamin D and cognitive impairment later in life,” said Dr. Ian Lang, MD, from the Peninsula Medical School, who helped conduct the study. “Dementia is a growing problem for health services everywhere, and people who have cognitive impairment are at higher risk of going on to develop dementia.”

For more reasons to take extra vitamin D, and advice on how much to get, check out “D is for deficient. And dangerous.”

© 2009 PDQhealth

Tags: cognitive impairment, memory loss, vitamin D