A study published in the journal Alzheimer & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring discovered a new benefit associated with vitamin D. When they were able to notice, the research group that had consumed supplements of this vitamin discovered 40% fewer cases of dementia.
Scientists from the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary (Canada) and the University of Exeter (United Kingdom) investigated how this disease progresses in more than 12,388 participants from the National Alzheimer’s Coordination Center in the United States. At the beginning of the observation period, none of the participants had been diagnosed with dementia and 37% were taking vitamin D supplements.
The purpose of the analysis was to develop dementia in the last ten years. The results indicated that 75% of those did not receive vitamin D, leading to the conclusion that this supplementation could reduce the risk. Experts point out that taking it before the attack of disfigurement could have beneficial consequences.
Professor Zahinoor Ismail, from the University of Calgary and the University of Exeter and director of the study, pointed out that it was already known that this vitamin had a positive effect on the brain. However, research so far has yielded different results.
More in women than in men
Other conclusions that emerged from the study were that the effects of supplementation were significantly greater in women than in men. It also emphasizes the importance of starting light supplementation before the appearance of signs of cognitive decline. However, there are doubts about the effectiveness in people who carry the APOEe4 gene, which could reduce the effect of the supplements.
Dementia is a degenerative disease that affects many. For this reason, experts point out that clinical studies are important to confirm this relationship. The scientific explanation is that vitamin D helps remove amyloid in the brain and prevents the accumulation of other proteins that contribute to increased risk.
Now, to explore this line further, the VitaMIND study at the University of Exeter examines individuals randomly supplemented with vitamin D or a placebo.
