A large new study shows that preventing dementia early can be as easy as taking a vitamin D supplement.
Previous studies have found that low vitamin D levels increase the risk of developing dementia. This hormone helps clear amyloid from the brain—its buildup characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease—and also helps prevent the buildup of tau, another protein implicated in the development of dementia.
We get vitamin D from sunlight and our diet, but studies consistently show that about 40% of Americans are D-deficient, with higher numbers depending on factors such as age and skin color. Become.
Researchers examined the association between dementia and vitamin D supplements in approximately 12,400 people with an average age of 71 years without dementia at the start of the study. 4,637 of her in this group were taking vitamin D supplements.
Of the 2,696 participants who progressed to dementia over the next 10 years, 75% did not take vitamin D supplements prior to diagnosis. The remaining quarter of him had baseline exposure at the start of the study.
“Our findings give us important insight into groups that may be targeted for vitamin D supplementation,” said Zahinur Ismail, principal investigator and professor at the Universities of Calgary and Exeter. As such, we found evidence to suggest that early supplementation, before cognitive decline sets in, may be particularly beneficial.”
Researchers found that the 4,637 participants who took vitamin D supplements had 40% fewer diagnoses of dementia compared to a cohort who did not.
Interestingly, the study also found that vitamin D supplementation appeared to provide more benefit to some subset of participants: women, with normal cognition as opposed to mild impairment; and those without the APOE-e4 gene.
Approximately 40-65% of dementia patients carry this gene, which is associated with the regulation of lipid metabolism and is associated with an increased risk of developing the disease. Researchers believe that people with this gene may absorb vitamin D from the gut, altering the effects of supplements.
“Preventing or delaying the onset of dementia is very important given the growing number of people affected,” said co-author and senior lecturer in neuroscience at the University of Exeter. Byron Cleese said. “The association with vitamin D in this study suggests that taking vitamin D supplements may be beneficial in preventing or delaying dementia.”
The study was published in a journal Alzheimer’s disease and dementia: diagnosis, evaluation, and disease monitoring.
Source: University of Exeter by EurekAlert!
