J Nutr Health.  2019 Oct;52(5):465-474. 10.4163/jnh.2019.52.5.465.

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and cognitive function in Korean older adults living in rural area

• Shin YS
• Choi BY
• Kim MK
• Yang YJ

• KMID: 2461459
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4163/jnh.2019.52.5.465

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study examined the association between the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration and the cognitive functions in Korean elderly.
METHODS
The subjects were 393 adults aged 60 years or older who participated in the Yangpyeong cohort between July 2009 and August 2010. The subjects were classified into deficiency, insufficiency, or adequacy groups according to the serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration diagnostic criteria suggested by the US Institute of Medicine (IOM). The cognitive function was assessed based on the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE-KC). The dietary intake was assessed using the quantitative food frequency questionnaire with 106 food items.
RESULTS
The proportions of deficiency, insufficiency, or adequacy in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D were 6.6%, 44.5%, and 48.9%, respectively. The serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration was significantly higher in men than in women and in outdoor workers than in other occupations. The adequacy group had higher MMSE-KC scores than the other two groups, but not to a significant degree. The proportion of cognitive impairment tended to decrease with increasing serum vitamin D concentration to deficiency, insufficiency, and adequacy (p for trend = 0.029). The deficiency group had a 2.28 times higher risk of cognitive impairment than the adequacy group, but the difference was not statistically significant (OR, 2.28; 95% CI, 0.18 ~ 1.07, p for trend = 0.119).
CONCLUSION
The serum vitamin D concentration tended to be associated with the cognitive function in elderly Koreans living in rural areas. To confirm the associations, further longitudinal studies with large samples were required.

Keyword

serum vitamin D; cognitive function; mild cognitive impairment; elderly

MeSH Terms

Adult*
Aged
Cognition Disorders
Cognition*
Cohort Studies
Female
Humans
Institute of Medicine (U.S.)
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Mild Cognitive Impairment
Occupations
Vitamin D
Vitamin D

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 The averages of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations according to general characteristics. Each bar presents the mean ± SD. Letters above bar represent significant differences by one-way ANOVA followed by post hoc with Tukey test.

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