Link Between Vitamin D and Dementia Confirmed

In a recent study published in the journal Neurology, researchers found that older people who do not get enough vitamin D may double their risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The study looked at blood levels of vitamin D, which includes vitamin D from food, supplements and sun exposure. “We expected to find an association between low vitamin D levels and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but the results were surprising — we actually found that the association was twice as strong as we anticipated,” said a lead author of the study. Results of the study found that people with low levels of vitamin D had a 53-percent increased risk of developing dementia, and those who were severely deficient had a 125-percent increased risk compared to participants with normal levels of the vitamin. Additionally, people with lower levels of vitamin D were nearly 70 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease and those who had severe deficiency were over 120-percent more likely to develop the disease. To read more about this study, click here.