Vitamin D intake is associated with dementia risk in the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project (WHICAP)

INTRODUCTION: Low vitamin D intake and low vitamin D circulating levels have been associated with increased risk for dementia. We aimed to examine the association between vitamin D intake and dementia in a multiethnic cohort.
METHODS: A longitudinal study of 1759 non-demented older (≥65 years) participants of the Washington Heights-Inwood Columbia Aging Project with follow-up visits and completed a food frequency questionnaire. Dementia was diagnosed by consensus using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria. Cox hazard regression was performed.
RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 5.8 years, 329 participants developed dementia. Participants with the highest tertile of vitamin D intake from food sources had decreased risk (hazard ratio [HR] 0.72, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.54-0.97, P = .030) for dementia compared with those with the lowest tertile, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, apolipoprotein E (APOE)-ε4, physical activity, Mediterranean diet (MeDI) score, income, depression, hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and smoking.
DISCUSSION: Higher vitamin D intake is associated with decreased risk of dementia in a multiethnic cohort.