Supplemental vitamin D is linked to a 40% lower risk of Alzheimer's in cognitively healthy older adults.
As the global population ages and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease increases, identifying lifestyle factors that may prevent or forestall the disease is becoming increasingly important. A recent study found that people who take vitamin D supplements are 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s than those who don’t supplement.
The study involved more than 12,000 cognitively healthy older adults. Researchers gathered information about the participants' vitamin D supplementation practices and whether they developed Alzheimer’s over 10 years.
They found that participants who took any form of supplemental vitamin D (D2, D3, or D3 with calcium) had a 40% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s than non-supplementers. This effect was more robust in women, those with normal cognition, and people without the APOE4 gene (a risk factor for Alzheimer’s).
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These findings suggest that supplemental vitamin D protects against Alzheimer’s. However, this was an observational study, so other factors might have influenced the participants' Alzheimer’s risk. For example, those who took supplemental vitamin D had higher education than those who didn’t. Research suggests that higher educational attainment is associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s.
Nevertheless, vitamin D is essential for human health, and most people living in the U.S. have low vitamin D levels, potentially driving the growing number of Alzheimer’s cases. Learn more about vitamin D’s effects on the brain in this episode featuring Dr. Rhonda Patrick.