Type 2 Diabetes - The Role of Vitamin D and Sugar on Brain Function in Older Adults

Most people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes tend to have insufficient blood levels of vitamin D. It's also been found mental decline can be associated with Type 2 diabetes.

In a study reported on in the Journal of the American Medical Director Association in March 2015, Wageningen University in Wageningen and several other research centers in The Netherlands compared the brain function in adults 65 years of age or older with varying levels of vitamin D, blood sugar, and insulin levels.

High blood levels of vitamin D were associated with a better attention span and working memory. Working memory is the ability to hold relevant thoughts while solving problems. It was found...

    participants with vitamin D levels in the highest third were 50 percent less likely to perform poorly on tests of mental acuity than those with levels in the lowest third.

Executive function, the ability to plan and carry out that plan, as well as memory for past events in the participant's life,

    were highest in the high vitamin D group.

Blood sugar and insulin levels were the same in all three groups, and insulin levels made almost no difference in the association between vitamin D and mental function.

Vitamin D helps the small intestine to absorb calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphate, and zinc. Calcium is necessary to enable messages to travel within nerve cells. Iron is thought to have a role in memory and learning. Research is going on to discover what possible role magnesium could have in attempting to reverse Alzheimer's disease. The brain uses high-energy phosphate bonds for energy. Zinc is another mineral that helps brain cells communicate. Whether one of the above minerals causes the association between vitamin D and brain function remains to be seen, but a good supply of vitamin D is healthy for everyone.

The amount of vitamin D everyone needs is controversial but as of November 2014 the National Institutes of Health in the United States recommends the following daily requirements according to age...

    0 to 12 months... 400 IU or 10 mcg
    1 to 70 years... 600 IU or 15 mcg
    over 70 years... 800 IU or 20 mcg

A few minutes in the sunlight every day helps your skin to make vitamin D. Other good sources include...

    fortified soy milk,
    mushrooms exposed to ultraviolet light,
    fortified orange juice (small portions), and
    fortified cereals. See the label on the container for vitamin D content.

Although managing your disease can be very challenging, Type 2 diabetes is not a condition you must just live with. You can make simple changes to your daily routine and lower both your weight and your blood sugar levels. Hang in there, the longer you do it, the easier it gets.

For nearly 25 years Beverleigh Piepers has searched for and found a number of secrets to help you build a healthy body. Go to http://DrugFreeType2Diabetes.com to learn about some of those secrets.

The answer isn't in the endless volumes of available information but in yourself.

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