Lack of vitamin D increases risk of Dementia: Study

Recent studies show that lower levels of vitamin D can increase the risk of dementia in individuals. Data of around 294,000 individuals from the UK Biobank were analysed in the research held by the University of South Australia.

"Vitamin D is a hormone precursor that is increasingly recognized for widespread effects, including on brain health, but until now it has been very difficult to examine what would happen if we were able to prevent vitamin D deficiency," said Elina Hyppönen, director of UniSA's Australian Centre for Precision Health.

Currently, the risk of dementia is seen as higher in individuals with Vitamin D levels below 25 nanomoles per litre. Those with a normal vitamin D level which is 50 nanomoles per litre are less prone to the risk of illness.

Since this study is the first to analyze the effects of Vitamin D levels, using robust genetic analyses, the current thesis can only be confirmed with further research in the area.

If more studies can help to prove the role played by the Vitamin, then the medical field will be able to improve the method of diagnosis.

"It's worth investigating further if it might make sense to identify people who are at high risk, identify people who are vitamin D deficient and focus on providing getting adequate vitamin D levels, whether it's through more sunlight, through dietary sources, or supplementation in those high-risk groups," said Dr Scott Kaiser, director of Geriatric Cognitive Health for the Pacific Neuroscience Institute, California.