Scientists from Tufts University found that people with high levels of vitamin D in their brains had a 33% less risk of dementia. The research was published in the journal Alzheimer’s.
The study’s authors analyzed brain tissue samples from 290 people collected as part of the Rapid Memory and Aging Project, a long-term study of Alzheimer’s disease that began in 1997.
Participants were evaluated annually for cognitive ability until death. Volunteers donated their brains, spinal cords and muscles. None of the participants had dementia when they joined the study, but 113 had been diagnosed with dementia at the time of death and 68 had mild cognitive impairment.
Tissues from four regions of the brain were analyzed for vitamin D levels and signs of dementia. Two regions were associated with Alzheimer’s disease-induced changes, one region was associated with vascular dementia, and one region did not find any association.
The latest analysis showed that people with higher brain vitamin D levels were 25% to 33% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia. Also, the higher the vitamin D level, the higher the cognitive abilities of the study participants.
At the same time, these people did not have fewer protein aggregates (amyloid plaques or Lewy bodies) previously associated with dementia in their brains. This means it’s not entirely clear how vitamin D might affect brain function.
Source: Gazeta
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