| Title: | Investigating the longitudinal relationship between Vitamin D levels, sleep duration, and dementia risk: insights from the UK Biobank |
| Journal: | Psychiatry Research |
| Published: | 5 Oct 2025 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41075540/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116759 |
Publication 19290
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Abstract
BACKGROUND: Dementia, particularly Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VD), presents a growing global burden. Modifiable risk factors, including vitamin D levels and sleep duration, have been implicated, but their associations with dementia risk remain unclear.</p>
METHODS: We analyzed data from the UK Biobank, a prospective cohort of over 500,000 individuals aged 40-69 years. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and self-reported sleep duration were categorized into three groups each: <25, ≥25 to <50, and ≥50 nmol/L for vitamin D; <6, ≥6 to <9, and ≥9 h for sleep. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine the independent and joint effects of vitamin D and sleep duration on incident dementia, adjusting for demographic, lifestyle, and medical confounders.</p>
RESULTS: A significant interaction between low vitamin D levels and abnormal sleep duration was observed. Individuals with 25(OH)D < 25 nmol/L and either short (<6 h) or long (≥9 h) sleep had the highest risk for all-cause dementia, AD, and VD. However, low vitamin D alone was not independently associated with dementia over 20 years of follow-up.</p>
CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies a synergistic effect between vitamin D deficiency and atypical sleep duration on dementia risk. Addressing both factors may enhance prevention strategies. These findings support the need for further trials to evaluate causal relationships and intervention efficacy.</p>
4 Authors
- Jingcheng Zhou
- Ninghao Huang
- Tao Huang
- Jiahui Ma
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