Inadequate Vitamin D Affects Brain, Mice Study Shows

Low levels of Vitamin D can be harmful for the brain, a latest study by UK researchers states.

The study was conducted on middle-aged mice who were kept on a diet low in vitamin D for 4 to 5 months and later analyzed the brains of these rodents.

The researchers found that the brains of the rats had free radical damage and the cognitive results were poor. "Given that vitamin D deficiency is especially widespread among the elderly, we investigated how during aging from middle-age to old-age how low vitamin D affected the oxidative status of the brain," study author Allan Butterfield said in a press release. "Adequate vitamin D serum levels are necessary to prevent free radical damage in brain and subsequent deleterious consequences."

It is important to have adequate supply of Vitamin D. It fights serious health diseases such as tuberculosis, heart problems, cancers. Experts also say that lack of vitamin D could lead to Alzheimer's disease.

According to Butterfield, it is necessary for people to check vitamin D levels and make sure of consuming a proper diet rich in vitamin D. He advised people to have a sun bath for 10 to 15 minutes every day or take vitamin supplements regularly.

The study was conducted by Allan Butterfield, professor in the U.K. Department of Chemistry, director of the Center of Membrane Sciences, faculty of Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, and director of the Free Radical Biology in Cancer Core of the Markey Cancer Center.

This study was published in the Free Radical Biology and Medicine.