Researchers at Emory University report that adults at risk for dementia who take at least 5,000 international units of vitamin D daily score more than 13 percent higher on cognitive screenings, highlighting a potential intervention window during early cognitive decline and sleep disturbances.
More than 7 million Americans are currently living with Alzheimer’s dementia, and that number is expected to climb to nearly 13 million by 2050. New research from Emory University suggests that higher vitamin D supplement intake may be linked to stronger cognitive performance in adults who face an increased risk of developing dementia. The study included 54 adults with sleep disturbances and mild cognitive impairments (MCI), both of which can be associated with the early stages of dementia.
High-Dose Vitamin D and Cognitive Scores at Emory University
Participants who reported taking at least 5,000 IU of vitamin D each day performed better on measures of cognitive function than those who did not take vitamin D. The findings, recently published in Sleep Medicine, showed that people taking 5,000 IU or more of vitamin D daily scored more than 13% higher on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) compared with participants who took none, even after researchers adjusted for other factors. MoCA is a widely used screening test designed to assess memory, thinking skills, and the risk of developing dementia.
In contrast to the results seen with the higher intake group, lower daily doses of vitamin D were not associated with improved cognitive scores. The researchers also highlighted the potential importance of when an intervention takes place. MCI is an intermediate stage between normal cognitive aging and dementia.
“In older adults experiencing both sleep disturbance and mild cognitive impairment, this may represent a critical window for intervention, when cognitive changes are emerging, but opportunities to support brain health may remain,” says Victoria Pak, senior author of the study.
“Identifying accessible and modifiable factors, such as vitamin D supplement intake, during the earlier stages of cognitive decline may become increasingly important, particularly as rates of Alzheimer’s disease continue to rise,” adds Pak, associate professor at Emory University’s Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing.
In addition to the timing of the intervention, the study also found that cognitive performance did not differ based on the form of vitamin D — D2, typically derived from plants, or D3.
Broader Nutritional Interventions in Aging Populations
About two out of three Americans have some level of cognitive decline by the age of 70. Given that, it’s understandable to want to keep your mind sharp as you age, and a study published in the journal Nutrients suggests that eating eggs may help. For the study, researchers analyzed data from 890 adults over 55 who participated in a long-term observational study called the Rancho Bernardo Study. The researchers looked at how often the participants ate eggs, as well as the results of performance tests that looked at things like executive function, language, recall, and mental flexibility.
When looking at dietary patterns, the researchers discovered that 16.5 percent of women and 14 percent of men said they never ate eggs, but nearly four percent of women and seven percent of men said they had eggs more than five times a week. After crunching the data, the researchers found that women who ate more eggs had less of a drop in fluency scores over time. The researchers specifically found that the risk dropped by 0.1 for every category of egg consumption, meaning that eating more eggs was linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline.
Meanwhile, a new study suggests that a popular everyday vitamin may do more than fill nutritional gaps—it could also help older adults maintain their ability to carry out everyday tasks as they age. Researchers at Augusta University found that adults aged 60 and older who took a daily multivitamin reported better functional health after three years compared with those who took a placebo. The findings will be presented at NUTRITION 2026, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.
Multivitamin-mineral supplements are the most commonly used dietary supplements across all age groups and may help fill nutritional gaps while supporting energy metabolism and immune function, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“The effects were strongest among participants with existing cardiovascular conditions, particularly carotid stenosis, where improvements reached levels considered clinically meaningful,” Bayu B. Bekele, a postdoctoral fellow at the Georgia Prevention Institute of the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, told Newsweek.
The researchers analyzed data from more than 16,000 participants aged 60 and older who took part in the COcoa Supplement Multivitamins Outcomes Study (COSMOS). Participants were randomly assigned to receive either a daily multivitamin, a cocoa extract supplement, both supplements, or neither. After three years, those taking a multivitamin had significantly better functional health scores than those taking a placebo, with the biggest differences seen in symptom burden and the clinical summary score.
“Importantly, the multivitamin group was not suddenly able to do activities that the placebo group could not do,” Bekele told Newsweek. “The overall benefit was modest.”
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