SynthesisBMC geriatrics2017
Vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for dementia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC geriatrics, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 62 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
62 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 133 citations in OpenAlex.
- Association of vitamin D with risk of dementiaFrontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Supplementation and Mitigating Cognitive Decline in Older Adults With or Without Mild Cognitive Impairment or Dementia: A Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2024Pooled it
- How are people with mild cognitive impairment or subjective memory complaints managed in primary care? A systematic review.Family practice · 2021Pooled it
- Role of Vitamin D in Preventing and Treating Selected Extraskeletal Diseases-An Umbrella Review.Nutrients · 2020Pooled it
- Vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer's disease: an updated meta-analysis.BMC neurology · 2019Pooled it
- Which Risk Factors Causally Influence Dementia? A Systematic Review of Mendelian Randomization Studies.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2018Pooled it
- Vitamin D and cognitive function: A Mendelian randomisation study.Scientific reports · 2017Pooled it
- Effect of vitamin D on cognitive decline: results from two ancillary studies of the VITAL randomized trial.Scientific reports · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Vitamin D Supplementation and Cognition in People with Type 2 Diabetes: A Randomized Control Trial.Journal of diabetes research · 2019Trial
- Article
- Chronic cholecalciferol supplementation and adequate vitamin D status are associated with reduced risk of Long COVID.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2026Article
- Feasibility of identifying factors related to Alzheimer's disease and related dementia in real-world data.JAMIA open · 2026Review
- Neurobiological mechanisms linking vitamin d signaling to cognitive decline and neurodegeneration: Untangling epidemiology, pathophysiology, and evidence.World journal of experimental medicine · 2026Review
- Vitamin D deficiency and disease conditions relevant to: Orthopaedic translation.Journal of orthopaedic translation · 2026Review
- Genetics and environmental determinants of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias in older Africans: a narrative review.Genes and environment : the official journal of the Japanese Environmental Mutagen Society · 2025Review
- Real-life effectiveness of a Fracture Liaison Service in reducing short-term mortality and second fractures after hip fracture: a five-year prospective study.Archives of osteoporosis · 2025Article
- Loneliness, insomnia symptoms, social jetlag, and vitamin D deficiency in relation to mental health problems in Japanese female university students: a cross-sectional study.Journal of physiological anthropology · 2025Article
- Association of serum 25(OH)D3 and cognitive levels with biological aging in the elderly: a cross-sectional study.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Article
- Say hello to my little friend… micronutraceuticals in neuroenergetics, neuronal health, and neurodegenerative diseases.Frontiers in neuroscience · 2025Review
2 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSunlight exposure and high vitamin D status have been hypothesised to reduce the risk of developing dementia. The objective of our research was to determine whether lack of sunlight and hypovitaminosis D over time are associated with dementia.
methodsWe systematically searched MEDLINE (via PubMed), Cochrane Library, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Web of Science, ICONDA, and reference lists of pertinent review articles from 1990 to October 2015. We conducted random effects meta-analyses of published and unpublished data to evaluate the influence of sunlight exposure or vitamin D as a surrogate marker on dementia risk.
resultsWe could not identify a single study investigating the association between sunlight exposure and dementia risk. Six cohort studies provided data on the effect of serum vitamin D concentration on dementia risk. A meta-analysis of five studies showed a higher risk for persons with serious vitamin D deficiency (<25 nmol/L or 7-28 nmol/L) compared to persons with sufficient vitamin D supply (≥50 nmol/L or 54-159 nmol/L) (point estimate 1.54; 95% CI 1.19-1.99, I
conclusionsThe results of this systematic review show that low vitamin D levels might contribute to the development of dementia. Further research examining the direct and indirect relationship between sunlight exposure and dementia risk is needed. Such research should involve large-scale cohort studies with homogeneous and repeated assessment of vitamin D concentrations or sunlight exposure and dementia outcomes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.