Serum vitamin D and cognition in a cohort of Boston-area Puerto Ricans.

Background: Vitamin D has been suggested as a protective factor for cognitive health, however results of prior studies have been mixed. To examine whether serum 25(OH)D concentration is related to cognition and cognitive decline in a study of Boston Area Puerto Ricans.

Methods: We examined the association between serum 25(OH)D, cognitive function and cognitive decline in a longitudinal study of 967 Boston Area Puerto Rican adults.

Results: In analyses adjusted for potential confounders, participants in the bottom quintile of 25(OH)D had similar cognitive function at baseline, as measured by a global cognitive score (mean difference: 0.09 (95% CI: -0.02, 0.19); p-trend: 0.18), and similar 2-year rates of cognitive decline (mean difference: -0.01 (95% CI: -0.09, 0.07), p-trend: 0.61) as those in the top 25(OH)D quintile. No significant associations were observed between baseline serum 25(OH)D concentration and 2-year change in individual cognitive test scores or change in executive function or memory domains.

Conclusions: We observed no significant association between serum 25(OH)D and cognition in this cohort of Boston Area Puerto Ricans.