Home › Research › Mild cognitive impairment
Impact of vitamin A on aged people’s cognition and Alzheimer’s disease progression in an animal model
Pengfei Li, Jingjing Xu, Yujie Guo, Xiaojun Ma, Xixiang Wang, Lu Liu, Yü Liu, Xiuwen Ren et al.. npj Science of Food, 2025-05-08
Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis
The relation between vitamin A (VA) level and cognitive function and the underlying mechanisms have not been thoroughly investigated. Population-based cross-sectional and animal diet intervention studies were conducted to analyze the association between VA nutritional status and cognitive function and the underlying mechanisms. In the population-based study, information from 1817 adults aged 50 years and above was used for data analysis, and we found that subjects with plasma VA level greater than 0.539 μg/ml displayed a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In the animal experiment, VA metabolism was disrupted in Alzheimer's disease (AD) model mice, indicated by increased hepatic VA level and reduced retinol binding protein 4 (RBP4) level. AD model mice fed with low-VA diet showed worse nesting behavior, and cerebral pathologies, including increased Aβ generation, exacerbated neuroinflammation, and impaired brain glucose uptake and insulin signaling pathway. In conclusion, higher plasma VA level (≥ 0.539 μg/ml) might decrease the risk of MCI in the middle-aged and elderly individuals. Low VA nutritional status might disrupt brain glucose metabolism through regulating the insulin signaling pathway, promoting the senile plaque deposit and aggregating cerebral neuroinflammation, finally exacerbating the pathology of AD.
Key findings
- In the population-based study, information from 1817 adults aged 50 years and above was used for data analysis, and we found that subjects with plasma VA level greater than 0.539 μg/ml displayed a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
- In conclusion, higher plasma VA level (≥ 0.539 μg/ml) might decrease the risk of MCI in the middle-aged and elderly individuals.
Why it matters
This study combined a population analysis of 1,817 adults aged 50 and above with an animal experiment, finding that higher plasma vitamin A was linked to lower mild cognitive impairment risk and that low vitamin A worsened Alzheimer's-like pathology in mice. The human part is cross-sectional and the animal part is early-stage, so it cannot show that vitamin A treats, cures, or prevents Alzheimer's disease.
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants1,817
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 47/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on senior author's track record, so that was left out: it earned 45 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 47 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (npj Science of Food) |
| Journal's citation record | 0 / 4 | Npj Science of Food: journal h-index 58 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 1,817 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 7 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 2.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 4.4× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 7 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | — / 4 | Senior author's record not available — left out of this score |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Nanjing University: institution h-index 850 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40341393) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 45 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 45 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 47 out of 100. |
| Total | 47 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1038/s41538-025-00402-1
- PubMed: 40341393
- Original source →
- Free full text: npj Science of Food →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Li, P., Xu, J., Guo, Y., Ma, X., Wang, X., Liu, L., et al. (2025). Impact of vitamin A on aged people’s cognition and Alzheimer’s disease progression in an animal model. npj Science of Food. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00402-1
Vancouver
Li P, Xu J, Guo Y, Ma X, Wang X, Liu L, et al. Impact of vitamin A on aged people’s cognition and Alzheimer’s disease progression in an animal model. npj Science of Food. 2025. doi:10.1038/s41538-025-00402-1. PMID: 40341393.
BibTeX
@article{li2025-40341393,
author = {Li, Pengfei and Xu, Jingjing and Guo, Yujie and Ma, Xiaojun and Wang, Xixiang and Liu, Lu and Liu, Yü and Ren, Xiuwen and others},
title = {{Impact of vitamin A on aged people’s cognition and Alzheimer’s disease progression in an animal model}},
journal = {npj Science of Food},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1038/s41538-025-00402-1},
pmid = {40341393},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1038/s41538-025-00402-1}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Related studies in Mild cognitive impairment
Also tagged “cognitive-function”
1,118 studies in the library carry the topic tag “cognitive-function”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,118 tagged studies.