Low vitamin D levels promote brain aging and loss of brain volume and gray matter.

A recent study found that the brains of people with low vitamin D levels age faster. Having high vitamin D levels may protect the brain, however.

Researchers measured vitamin D levels and reviewed MRI brain studies of more than 1,800 adults to identify associations between vitamin D levels and total brain, gray matter, and hippocampal volumes. They found that having low vitamin D levels was closely tied to brain aging. As vitamin D levels decreased, total brain and gray matter volumes decreased as well, particularly in males.

Between the ages of 30 and 40 years, the connections between cells in a person’s brain begin to diminish, causing the brain to shrink in volume. The rate of shrinkage increases as a person reaches the age of 60, impairing thinking, memory, and executive function. The loss of brain volume is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.

These findings suggest that vitamin D plays a role in protecting the brain from the effects of aging. Vitamin D plays many other roles in human health. Learn more about vitamin D in our overview article.

• Read study abstract.