Step out into the light--it's not just good for your body, it's good for your brain, too.

Two new studies on seniors find that vitamin D can help lower your risk for one of aging's biggest nightmares: cognitive decline.

In fact, there seems to be a direct relationship between the two--because researchers behind both studies have found that people with the lowest levels of the sunshine vitamin have the highest risk of cognitive decline, a risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

In the first study, researchers measured the vitamin D levels of 150 people 70 or older, with an average age of 85. All of them were still living on their own. Then, they gave each of them a 30- point test used to diagnose cognitive impairment.

The researchers found that those with the lowest D levels did the worst on the test, according to the study presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology.

In fact, the 42 patients who managed to get a perfect score had an average vitamin D level of 42.8 nanograms per milliliter of blood. Those whose tests suggested mild impairment had an average of 34.8 nanograms per milliliter.

In the second study, also presented at the same meeting, researchers looked at 752 French women aged 75 or older. They found that women with D levels below 10 nanograms per milliliter were twice as likely to suffer from cognitive impairment than women with higher levels of D.

It's pretty simple: Lose the D, and you might lose your mind.

But the benefits don't end there, because vitamin D is as close to a miracle pill as you'll ever find.

Vitamin D can help fight off heart disease, boost your immune system, lower your risk of diabetes, and strengthen bones. Studies have found it may lower your risk of cancer, boost muscle strength and lower blood pressure.

It can even lower your risk of death from all causes (although that one catches up to all of us eventually).

This simple nutrient probably gives Big Pharma executives nightmares, because all their billion- dollar budgets still haven't given them anything they can sell that's as safe and effective as a nutrient you can get for free from sunlight.

But that hasn't stopped them from trying.

They've created a synthetic prescription version of vitamin D, actually D2, which is inferior in every way to the natural vitamin D3 you get in any health food store or supermarket.

Don't be fooled--whether you're looking to ward off cognitive decline or just want to make sure you're not among the tens of millions of Americans with a D deficiency, make sure you get the right stuff.

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