Vitamin D3 favorable outcome on recognition memory and prefrontal cortex expression of choline acetyltransferase and acetylcholinesterase in experimental model of chronic high-fat feeding.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Preclinical animal model study
PubMed 31544572 · doi:10.1080/00207454.2019.1671839
What was done
Forty male Wistar rats were assigned to four dietary groups of 10 for 6 months: control diet (10% fat), control + vitamin D3, high-fat diet (HFD, 45% fat), and HFD + vitamin D3. Recognition memory was evaluated via the novel object recognition test, and prefrontal cortex expression of choline acetyltransferase (CAT) and acetylcholinesterase (Achase) was analyzed.
What was found
HFD-fed rats showed impaired recognition memory with a significantly decreased discrimination index compared to controls. HFD feeding also significantly decreased prefrontal CAT expression and significantly increased prefrontal Achase expression. Vitamin D3 supplementation with HFD significantly increased novel object exploration and the discrimination index, while attenuating alterations in CAT and Achase expression. No exact numerical values or effect sizes were reported in the abstract.
Why it matters
This study provides mechanistic evidence in a rodent model that vitamin D3 can mitigate high-fat diet-induced cognitive deficits and cholinergic dysfunction in the prefrontal cortex.
Limits
The study was conducted entirely in male rats, limiting generalizability to humans. The abstract does not provide exact vitamin D3 dosing, baseline vitamin D status, or raw quantitative figures, and evaluation was restricted to two cholinergic markers in a single brain region.
Cited by
- supports When vitamin D binds its nuclear receptor, it stimulates the expression of choline acetyltransferase, the enzyme that synthesizes acetylcholine.