A study published this past week indicates that increasing your levels of vitamin D may help older people stay mentally sharp.  Your body can produce vitamin D by exposing your skin to the sun as well as through the diet. Sources of vitamin D include oily fish, liver, mushrooms and fortified products, such as orange juice.

Vitamin D may also provide protection against cancer and artery disease. To date, research studies have been inconsistent on whether vitamin D protects cognitive function (mental ability). However this newly published research compared the cognitive function of over 3,100 European men between the ages of 49 to 71 years old.  Cognitive function was assessed by various tests, such as memory tests. Physical activity, mood/depression, functional performance and actual levels of vitamin D were also assessed.

The results indicated the men who had higher vitamin D levels scored higher on the various cognitive tests. The opposite was true. The men who had lower vitamin D levels (below 35nm/L) performed poorly on the test designed to test mental agility.  These findings are some of the most convincing to date  due to the large number of participants as well the authors taking into account education level, depression, physical activity, and measures of physical performance. Even after taking into account these factors, the results remained the same. The researchers were uncertain how vitamin D might protect cognitive function but speculated it may be due to hormonal activity or protection of brain cells.

With summer fastly approching you will probably be out enjoying the sunshine and thus increasing your levels of vitamin D.  However it is important to keep in mind that sunscreen should be used to protect against skin cancer. So go enjoy the sunshine, you may make your self a little brighter!