Seven vitamin D-rich foods to improve cognitive function
In winter he may seem difficult to stock up on vitamin D. Indeed, we often tend to associate it with sun exposure. However, it is also possible to refuel with food. A recent study investigated this, observing the effects of vitamin D on the brain.
Indeed, according to researchers from Tufts University (USA), adults with cognitive decline who have higher vitamin D levels in the brain would have better cognitive function. The results of the study were published on December 7 in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.
Vitamin D may be linked to slowing cognitive decline
To carry out this study, the researchers examined the brain samples from 209 people participating in the Rush Memory Aging Project. This is a long-term study on Alzheimer’s disease, which began in 1997. Indeed, they wanted to know if vitamin D was also present in the brainand how she may influence cognitive decline. For it, they measured the presence of vitamin D in 4 regions of the brain:
two associated with changes related to Alzheimer’s disease ;
one associated with forms of dementia related to blood circulation;
one with no known association with cognitive decline.
Scientists have discovered that vitamin D was present in brain tissue. Moreover, these high levels of vitamin D present in the four regions of the brain were associated with better cognitive function.
“We now know that vitamin D is present in reasonable amounts in the human brainand it appears to be correlated with less decline in cognitive function“, explains Kyla Shea, professor at Tufts University and author of the study.
However, experts still do not know how vitamin D actually affects brain function. “We need to do more research to identify the neuropathology to which vitamin D is linked in the brain. before starting to design future interventions“, she adds.
Vitamin D: refuel through food
Despite the lack of knowledge on the subject, these first results remain encouraging. If further research is needed to develop treatments, researchers point to interest in food. “This research reinforces the importance of studying how foods and nutrients build resilience to protect the aging brain against diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and other related dementias,” said Sarah Booth, director of the Jean Mayer USDA Center for Human Nutrition Research and author of the study.
For replenish vitamin D through foodit is necessary to bet on foods rich in vitamins D. These must also be varied to have a balanced diet. Medisite presents you the seven that contain the most vitamin D, to incorporate into your eating routine.
