A daily pill costing as little as one pence could help lower your risk of dementia, scientists have said. According to a study, vitamin D supplementation is linked to lower incidence of the devastating condition.
Dementia is a syndrome, or a group of symptoms, linked to the ongoing decline of the brain. Most common in people over the age of 65, it can lead to memory loss, behavioural changes, and problems with speech and language.
There are many factors that contribute to your likelihood of developing dementia later in life, such as your genetics, how often you exercise, and how socially active you are. Diet is also a factor, with many studies showing that eating a healthy, balanced diet packed with healthy fats is one way to lower your risk.
Researchers have also pinpointed that a specific vitamin can have a similar effect. The study, which was published in the journal Alzheimer’s and Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment and Disease, analysed the impact of three types of vitamin D supplement.
To do so they studied data from 12,388 people from the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center, who were dementia-free at the start of the study. Their average age was 71 years old.
Overall, 37% of participants took at least one of three vitamin D supplements: calcium-vitamin D, cholecalciferol, and ergocalciferol. As reported by Medical News Today, the team also accounted for demographic, clinical, and genetic variables, such as depression and APOE ε4 status—a gene variant linked to a higher risk of dementia.
After a period of five years, the researchers discovered that 83.6% of those exposed to vitamin D supplements were alive and dementia-free. The same was true for 68.4% of those not exposed to vitamin D.
But within 10 years, 22% of participants developed dementia, of which 74.8 percent were not exposed to vitamin D supplements. In comparison, 14.6% of those with vitamin D exposure progressed to dementia, the same was true for 26% of those with no vitamin D exposure.
After adjusting for factors including cognitive diagnosis, depression, and APOE ε4 status, the team concluded that vitamin D exposure was linked to a 40 percent lower incidence of dementia compared to no exposure.
Women also saw more of a benefit from taking vitamin D supplements. The women exposed to vitamin D were 49% less likely to develop dementia than those without exposure. Vitamin D-exposed men were 26% less likely to develop dementia than non-exposed men.
This is not the first study to link vitamin D and dementia. One study, published in Nutrition journal in 2015, showed that low vitamin D levels are linked to a greater risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
At the time of reporting you can buy a 240 tablet pot of vitamin D supplements for £2.75 from Holland & Barrett, working out as less than one pence per pill.
To lower your risk of dementia, the NHS recommends:
- Eating a balanced diet
- Maintaining a healthy weight
- Exercising regularly
- Keeping alcohol within recommended limits
- Stopping smoking
- Keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level
- Staying socially active.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
