What is it about?

There are significant seasonal variations in vitamin D levels. However, little is known regarding the association of incident dementia with vitamin D insufficiency (25-49.9 nmol/L) and deficiency (≥50 nmol/L) across seasons. We assessed the association between vitamin D insufficiency and deficiency using both non-seasonal (traditional method) and seasonal (penalized spline smoothing method) specific cut-offs.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

There was significant variation across seasons, with mean vitamin D levels for spring, summer, autumn, and winter at 45.4 nmol/L, 58.6 nmol/L, 54.9 nmol/L, and 43.5 nmol/L, respectively. Compared with the non-seasonal specific cut-off for vitamin D deficiency of <25 nmol/L, we defined cut-off points for vitamin D deficiency as <17.8 nmol/L for spring, <28.0 nmol/L for summer, <24.0 nmol/L for autumn, and <16.9 nmol/L for winter, all of which were significantly associated with an increased risk of dementia. Seasonal-specific vitamin D deficiency was associated with a 1.51-fold, 2.16-fold, 1.99-fold, and 1.70-fold increased risk of dementia in spring, summer, autumn, and winter, respectively.

Perspectives

I hope this article makes readers somewhat intrigued. As this publication may add valuable insights to the existing body of research on dementia prevention and underscores the importance of considering seasonal variations in vitamin D levels when assessing cognitive health. As someone passionate about promoting healthy aging and preventing age-related cognitive decline, I look forward to delving deeper into the full study to gain a more comprehensive understanding of its implications and potential avenues for future research.

Xianwen Shang
University of Melbourne

Read the Original

This page is a summary of: Seasonal Variations in Vitamin D Levels and the Incident Dementia Among Older Adults Aged ≥60 Years in the UK Biobank, Journal of Alzheimer s Disease Reports, March 2024, IOS Press,
DOI: 10.3233/adr-230077.
You can read the full text:

Read

Contributors

The following have contributed to this page