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Objectives: To elucidate the mechanism through which vitamin D is associated with decreased falls., Design: This was a convenience sample from a larger observational study examining correlations between vitamin D and 1) falls, 2) motor function, and 3) cognition (n=159)., Setting: Falls data were collected via weekly on-line surveys completed in the participants' homes. Yearly evaluations of motor and cognitive function were conducted in an out-patient setting of a large tertiary medical center., Participants: Participants from the Intelligent Systems for Assessment of Aging Changes Study (ISAAC), a community-based cohort study of independently living older adults over age 70, who had vitamin D concentration within 6 months of clinical evaluations were included in the analysis., Results: Participants mean age was 85 years and 74% were women. Fallers (n=37) had significantly lower vitamin D concentration (32.9ng/ml) compared to non-fallers (39.2ng/ml) (p<0.01). The relationship between vitamin D and falls remained significant after adjusting for age, health status (via CIRS), and supplement use (p=0.004). Vitamin D concentration were significantly associated with cognitive impairment (Clinical Dementia Rating = 0.5) (p=0.02) and MMSE (p<0.01) after adjusting for age, gender, and education. Vitamin D concentrations did not correlate with any motor measures., Conclusion: Vitamin D concentrations correlated with cognition and falls, but not with motor measures. Further research is needed to demonstrate a causal relationship between vitamin D and cognitive function and determine if cognition plays a role in falls reduction.

Objective: To examine the cross-sectional relationship between nutrient status and psychometric and imaging indices of brain health in dementia-free elders., Methods: Thirty plasma biomarkers of diet were assayed in the Oregon Brain Aging Study cohort (n = 104). Principal component analysis constructed nutrient biomarker patterns (NBPs) and regression models assessed the relationship of these with cognitive and MRI outcomes., Results: Mean age was 87 ± 10 years and 62% of subjects were female. Two NBPs associated with more favorable cognitive and MRI measures: one high in plasma vitamins B (B1, B2, B6, folate, and B12), C, D, and E, and another high in plasma marine ω-3 fatty acids. A third pattern characterized by high trans fat was associated with less favorable cognitive function and less total cerebral brain volume. Depression attenuated the relationship between the marine ω-3 pattern and white matter hyperintensity volume., Conclusion: Distinct nutrient biomarker patterns detected in plasma are interpretable and account for a significant degree of variance in both cognitive function and brain volume. Objective and multivariate approaches to the study of nutrition in brain health warrant further study. These findings should be confirmed in a separate population.