The relationship between long-term sunlight radiation and cognitive decline in the REGARDS cohort study.
Int J Biometeorol. 2014 Apr;58(3):361-70. doi: 10.1007/s00484-013-0631-5. Epub 2013 Jan 24.
Kent ST1, Kabagambe EK, Wadley VG, Howard VJ, Crosson WL, Al-Hamdan MZ, Judd SE, Peace F, McClure LA.
1 Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 1665 University Blvd, Birmingham, AL, USA, shia at uab.edu.
Sunlight may be related to cognitive function through vitamin D metabolism or circadian rhythm regulation. The analysis presented here sought to test whether ground and satellite measures of solar radiation are associated with cognitive decline. The study used a 15-year residential history merged with satellite and ground monitor data to determine sunlight (solar radiation) and air temperature exposure for a cohort of 19,896 cognitively intact black and white participants aged 45+ from the 48 contiguous United States. Exposures of 15, 10, 5, 2, and 1-year were used to predict cognitive status at the most recent assessment in logistic regression models; 1-year insolation and maximum temperatures were chosen as exposure measures. Solar radiation interacted with temperature, age, and gender in its relationships with incident cognitive impairment. After adjustment for covariates, the odds ratio (OR) of cognitive decline for solar radiation exposure below the median vs above the median in the 3rd tertile of maximum temperatures was 1.88 (95 % CI: 1.24, 2.85), that in the 2nd tertile was 1.33 (95 % CI: 1.09, 1.62), and that in the 1st tertile was 1.22 (95 % CI: 0.92, 1.60).
We also found that participants
- under 60 years old had an OR = 1.63 (95 % CI: 1.20, 2.22), those
- 60-80 years old had an OR = 1.18 (95 % CI: 1.02, 1.36), and those
- over 80 years old had an OR = 1.05 (0.80, 1.37).
Lastly, we found that
- males had an OR = 1.43 (95 % CI: 1.22, 1.69), and
- females had an OR = 1.02 (0.87, 1.20).
We found that lower levels of solar radiation were associated with increased odds of incident cognitive impairment.
PMID: 23340910
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See also Vitamin D Life: Items in both categories Noontime Sun and Cognition are listed here:
- Little sun in first trimester, 2.9 X more likely to have learning disabilities – June 2019
- Fewer cognitive problems if more sun or Vitamin D
- Alzheimer’s associated with low sun and low vitamin D – Sept 2018
- Less vitamin D generated from sunlight by schizophrenia patients – 2016
- Fewer cognitive problems in regions with more sunshine (vitamin D) – April 2014