Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40421034›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in nutrition2025

Association of serum 25(OH)D3 and cognitive levels with biological aging in the elderly: a cross-sectional study.

Mingkai Li, Chenyang Li, Le Cheng, Chenhui Lv, Lushan Xue, Cheng Zhang, Ziping Bai, Xi Wang, Shuangzhi Chen, Qinfei Guo and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Frontiers in nutrition, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Mingkai LiDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Nutritional and Food Sciences Research Institute, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Chenyang LiThe Second Clinical Medical College of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Le ChengDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Nutritional and Food Sciences Research Institute, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Chenhui LvDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Nutritional and Food Sciences Research Institute, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Lushan XueDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Nutritional and Food Sciences Research Institute, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Cheng ZhangDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Nutritional and Food Sciences Research Institute, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Ziping BaiShanghai Medical College of Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
Xi WangDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Nutritional and Food Sciences Research Institute, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Shuangzhi ChenDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Nutritional and Food Sciences Research Institute, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Qinfei GuoDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Nutritional and Food Sciences Research Institute, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Yafei ZhaoDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Nutritional and Food Sciences Research Institute, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.
Haifeng ZhaoDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, School of Public Health, Nutritional and Food Sciences Research Institute, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Biological aging, a fundamental process affecting health and longevity, is pivotal to understanding the physiological decline associated with aging. Serum vitamin D3 deficiency and cognitive impairment are common health issues among older adults. However, the joint associations of serum vitamin D levels and cognitive impairment with biological aging remain poorly understood. This study aims to evaluate the independent and combined associations of serum vitamin D3 and cognitive impairment with biological aging in older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study included adults aged 60 years and older from the 2011-2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Biological aging was measured using Phenotypic Age calculated from biomarkers. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Centre for the Establishment of a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) test, the Animal Fluency test (AFT), and the Digit Symbol Substitution test (DSST). Multivariable regression and restricted cubic spline models were used to examine the relationships between serum 25(OH)D3 levels, cognitive performance, and biological aging. Results: After adjusting for all covariates, individuals in the highest quartile of cognitive performance had a reduced risk of biological aging compared to those in the lowest quartile (CERAD: OR 0.91; 95% CI, 0.57-1.46; AFT: OR 0.48; 95% CI, 0.29-0.82; DSST: OR 0.43; 95% CI, 0.24-0.77). A U-shaped relationship was observed between serum 25(OH)D3 levels and biological aging. Combined analyses revealed that individuals with both low serum 25(OH)D3 and low cognitive performance had the highest risk of biological aging across all cognitive tests (CERAD: OR 1.43; 95% CI, 1.02-1.98; AFT: OR 1.70; 95% CI, 1.24-2.32; DSST: OR 1.67; 95% CI, 1.22-2.27). Notably, in the DSST, individuals with normal serum 25(OH)D3 levels and normal cognitive performance showed a reduction in Phenotypic Age by 2.40 years ( Conclusion: In older adults, low serum 25(OH)D3 levels combined with low cognitive performance are strongly associated with an increased risk of biological aging.

Indexed as

biological agingcognitionNHANESolder adultphenotypic ageserum 25(OH)D3

Identifiers

PMID40421034
PMCPMC12104659

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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.