Sunlight may help fight dementia
FORGET brain training, crosswords and puzzles — improving your mind could be as simple as getting a daily dose of sunlight.
Melbourne University researchers have found older women who have adequate vitamin D levels have better attention, cognitive flexibility and working memory.
Dr Alicia Goodwill studied 252 participants aged 55-67 from the Women’s Healthy Ageing Project to investigate the association between midlife vitamin D and cognition in Australian women.
The 10-year observational study, published in Maturitas, found that middle-aged women who had vitamin D levels of more than 25 nanomoles per litre had better executive brain function.
It also identified a potential midlife window where ideal levels of vitamin D could protect against some types of cognitive decline.
Memory did not appear to be affected by vitamin D levels in the study.
This is because the women in the research pool were mid- dle aged and decline in memory is generally not detectable until women reach their seventies, Dr Goodwill said.
Other research has identified type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, smoking, depression, physical inactivity, and low cognitive stimulation or low education as dementia risk factors.
Now vitamin D has emerged as a prevention measure, she says.
“We’re not saying it’s a magic bullet or the magic sunshine. It’s one potential factor.”
Modern lifestyles that involve long hours indoors working at desks, lots of screen time and less active transport all make it hard to get adequate vitamin D form the sun.
A number of studies have found many Australians are deficient in vitamin D.
Exposure to the sun can cause skin cancer so it is important not to overdo it.
Only a small amount of sun exposure, just a few minutes a day, is required to get enough vitamin D. Combining small amounts of sunshine with light exercise such as a walk or gardening is an effective way to obtain sufficient amounts of vitamin D, Dr Goodwill said.