Taking Vitamin D Supplements Can Help Prevent Dementia: Study
)
Also read:High Blood Sugar Control: 5 Healthy Alternatives To Refined Sugar - Check Complete List
While Vitamin D was effective in all groups, the team found that effects were significantly greater in females, compared to males. Similarly, effects were greater in people with normal cognition, compared to those who reported signs of mild cognitive impairment - changes to cognition that have been linked to a higher risk of dementia. The effects of vitamin D were also significantly greater in people who did not carry the APOEe4 gene, known to present a higher risk for Alzheimer`s dementia, compared to non-carriers. The authors suggest that people who carry the APOEe4 gene absorb vitamin D better from their intestines, which might reduce the vitamin D supplementation effect. However, no blood levels were drawn to test this hypothesis.
Previous research has found that low levels of vitamin D are linked to higher dementia risk. Vitamin D is involved in the clearance of amyloid in the brain, the accumulation of which is one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Studies have also found that vitamin D may provide help to protect the brain against build-up of tau, another protein involved in the development of dementia.
Co-author Dr Byron Creese, at the University of Exeter, said: "Preventing dementia or even delaying its onset is vitally important given the growing numbers of people affected. The link with vitamin D in this study suggests that taking vitamin D supplements may be beneficial in preventing or delaying dementia, but we now need clinical trials to confirm whether this is really the case. The ongoing VitaMIND study at the University of Exeter is exploring this issue further by randomly assigning participants to either take vitamin D or placebo and examining changes in memory and thinking tests over time."The VitaMIND study is run via PROTECT, an online study open to people aged 40 and over.
Live Tv
Friday, March 3, 2023 at 6:54 am