Doctors from the University of Calgary and the University of Exeter have found that vitamin D supplementation can help prevent dementia. Research published magazine Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Disease Monitoring.
The scientists examined the relationship between vitamin D supplementation and dementia in more than 12,000 participants. The mean age of the patients was 71 years, 37% of them were taking vitamin D supplements, and they were followed for 10 years.
75% of those with dementia were not taking vitamin D. Overall, 40% fewer patients developed dementia in the vitamin-taking group. Scientists have found that taking vitamin D is associated with a longer dementia-free life.
Although vitamin D was effective in all groups, the researchers found that the effect was significantly more pronounced in women. In addition, the effects of vitamin D were significantly higher in people who did not carry the e4 mutation in the APOE gene. This mutation is associated with a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Clinical trials will be necessary to confirm the benefits of vitamin D supplementation in preventing dementia, as the scientists’ study found only a correlation, not a causal relationship.
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