August 6, 2014

expert reaction to vitamin D and dementia

In a large study published in Neurology researchers measured blood levels of vitamin D in older people and reported that not getting enough vitamin D was associated with  a two-fold increase in the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

Prof Gordon Wilcock, Emeritus Professor of Geratology, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, said:

“This study confirms the suggestion from previous research that there is a link between low vitamin D levels and the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. It emphasizes the need for treatment trials in people with low levels of vitamin D to see if supplements could prevent or delay the onset of dementia, or improve memory function after it has deteriorated.

“One could make a case for checking vitamin D levels in older people who have a poor diet, or who have little exposure to the sun, or alternatively as a part of an older persons’ routine screening programme, because vitamin D is important for other health reasons as well as memory problems and dementia.

“If proven to be of benefit in vitamin D deficient older people at risk of developing dementia, supplements will not only be helping with memory problems and dementia but also other illnesses associated with vitamin D deficiency, and so would be of greater overall benefit than a treatment that only targeted dementia.

“Dementia is such a devastating disease that preventing or slowing down its progression, if this proves possible with vitamin D supplements, would be extremely important even if the number of people who benefited seems small.”

Dr Simon Ridley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity, said:

“This interesting study has strengthened the evidence for an association between vitamin D levels and risk of dementia, but it’s not possible to know from this research whether low vitamin D levels could cause dementia. To be certain whether increasing vitamin D could help protect against dementia, we would need to see large-scale clinical trials. Vitamin D is essential for keeping our bodies healthy, and although these results don’t suggest people should start dosing up on supplements, it’s important for people to ensure they are getting enough vitamin D. Anyone who is considering changing their diet to include vitamin supplements should speak to a doctor.

“With the numbers of people with dementia set to increase, it’s vital to continue investing in research to understand the factors that can affect our risk of the condition. In the meantime, there are a number of ways people can lower their risk of dementia, including eating a healthy, balanced diet, exercising regularly, not smoking or drinking too much, and keeping blood pressure and weight in check.”

‘Vitamin D and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease’ by Littlejohns et al. published in Neurology on Wednesday 6^th August.

Declared interests

None declared