Different-sized brain lesions occur quite commonly among healthy elderly people, but the new study found that the overall amount of brain matter affected by lesions goes up with vitamin D and calcium intake, and it's a matter of concern for many scientists.
Health Day quotes study author Martha E. Payne as saying, "This is one of the first studies to examine the relationship between diet and brain lesions."
"Since our study only looked at diet and brain lesions at one point in time, we cannot conclude that calcium or vitamin D caused the brain lesions that we found," she cautioned.
Experts say it's still too early to jump to conclusions and warn people away from calcium and vitamin D. In fact, many people suffer from insufficient amounts of these vitamins, both of which are important for bone health. Calcium is also necessary for proper nerve and muscle cell function.
The results of the new study were announced Tuesday as part of an American Society for Nutrition presentation at the Experimental Biology 2007 meeting in Washington, D.C.
Authors believe that the apparent reason lies in an excess absorption of calcium by blood vessel walls, which could form bone-like deposits that narrow blood vessels and restrict elasticity. Excess vitamin D might worsen this process.
The authors also noted that blood vessel damage, if it were to occur in the brain, could lead to the development of brain lesions.
According to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, adults over the age of 50 should consume 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily. A daily total of 800 to 1,000 I.U. of vitamin D3 is also suggested, although the foundation cautions that supplementation at that level should only be taken with a doctor's supervision.
