March 2, 2023 – A latest large study suggests that taking vitamin D may help prevent dementia.
Older individuals who took the complement were 40% less prone to develop the disease over a 10-year period than individuals who didn't take additional vitamin D.
“We know that vitamin D has some effects on the brain that could have implications for reducing dementia,” says researcher Zahinoor Ismail, MD, of the University of Calgary and the University of Exeter in a opinion. “However, previous studies have produced conflicting results. … Overall, we found evidence that earlier supplementation, before the onset of cognitive decline, may be particularly beneficial.”
The studypublished this week in Alzheimer's and dementia: diagnosis, assessment and disease monitoringcompared the onset of dementia symptoms depending on whether people took vitamin D supplements or not. The study involved a complete of 12,388 people within the USA who didn't have dementia after they enrolled within the study. The average age of the participants was 71 years.
Overall, 75% of study participants who didn't take vitamin D developed dementia inside 10 years, and 25% of those that took vitamin D also developed dementia.
The researchers found that vitamin D provided greater protection in women than in men, with protection being significant in each sexes compared with not taking vitamin D. In addition, protection seemed to be higher when people began taking the complement before signs of cognitive problems appeared.
Vitamin D was significantly less protective against dementia in individuals who carry a particular gene linked to Alzheimer's disease. The APOE4 gene, which is linked to Alzheimer's disease, could also be since the gene affects the body's absorption of vitamin D, the study authors suspect.
More than 50 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, and that number will triple by 2050, the authors write. According to the CDC, dementia is the reduced ability to recollect, think, or make decisions that impacts on a regular basis activities. It primarily affects older people but will not be considered a traditional a part of aging.