The famous vitamin that saves the mind of 80-year-olds

2023-06-27 10:02:00, Shëndeti CNA

The right amount of vitamin D per day can protect us from the risk of dementia, according to researchers from the University of Calgary in Canada and the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.

Vitamin D, better known as the sunshine vitamin, is also known for its benefits in calcium and phosphorus absorption and immune system regulation. But it seems that it is also the vitamin of the sharpness of the mind.

Researchers analyzed the link between vitamin D supplementation and dementia among 12,388 people enrolled at the US National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center.

The average age of the participants was 71 years and they did not have dementia at the start of the study. 37% (4637) reported taking vitamin D supplements.

The researchers concluded that vitamin D intake was associated with the absence of dementia from the participants' lives over a longer period of time. 40% fewer dementia diagnoses were seen in the group taking vitamin D supplements.

Across the entire sample analyzed, a total of 2,696 participants developed dementia over a decade, when participants were on average close to 80 years old. Of this group, 2017 (75%) did not receive vitamin D, while 679 (25%) had minimal exposure to this vitamin.

Lead researcher Professor Zahinoor Ismail explained that the beneficial effect of vitamin D in reducing the risk of dementia was not unknown to the researchers, however they wanted to focus specifically on the role of vitamin D supplementation in relation to dementia.

In the scientists' interesting findings that the action of vitamin D was greater in women, as well as in those who had normal cognitive abilities as opposed to those who reported symptoms of mild cognitive impairment. Also, vitamin D supplementation was more effective in those who did not carry the APOEe4 gene that causes Alzheimer's disease.

Previous studies have shown that low levels of vitamin D are linked to an increased risk of dementia and that vitamin D acts as a "cleaner" of amyloid plaques in the brain. The accumulation of this protein is a hallmark of the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

Vitamin D may prevent or delay dementia, according to the findings, but before you rush to take supplements, keep in mind that clinical studies are needed to confirm the findings. In other words, studies in patients should be done to confirm the conclusions of observational studies.