World Alzheimer's Day 2018: The link between vitamin D deficiency and Alzheimer’s

A study published in the journal Neurology stated that people with low levels of vitamin D were twice more likely to develop Alzheimer's or other types of dementia than people who had normal levels of vitamin D.

Till date vitamin D has been widely associated with bone and skeletal health but turns out that deficiency of this vitamin can affect cognitive well-being too. However, whether supplementation of vitamin D can help to boost brain health and prevent Alzheimer's disease is a little debatable. Previously studies have pointed out that that people who had very low levels of vitamin D in their blood, a condition known as vitamin D deficiency, were more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. In fact, a study published in the journal Neurology stated that people with low levels of vitamin D were twice more likely to develop Alzheimer's or other types of dementia than people who had normal levels of vitamin D.

While the role of vitamin D in bone metabolism and calcium absorption is well understood, how it affects cognitive functions still remains unclear. Researchers aren't sure how vitamin D can directly affect brain health. However they have concluded that vitamin D could be beneficial for a variety of physiological functions and could be related to cognitive well-being too.

Most vitamin D is produced within the body in response to sunlight exposure. Vitamin D occurs naturally in only a few foods, including fatty fish and fish-liver oils. The most common dietary sources of vitamin D are fortified foods, such as milk, breakfast cereals and orange juice. Vitamin D supplements also are widely available.

Vitamin D deficiency is common among older adults, partly because the skin's ability to synthesize vitamin D from the sun decreases with age. It's too early to recommend increasing your daily dose of vitamin D in hopes of preventing dementia or Alzheimer's disease. But maintaining healthy vitamin D levels can't hurt and may pay off in other ways, such as reducing the risk of osteoporosis. According to the National Institutes of Health, adults age 70 and younger need 600 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily and adults over age 70 need 800 IU daily.

While low levels of vitamin D was seen in people with different forms of dementia including Alzheimer's but there is no evidence that its supplementation can help to reduce risk of the same or prevent Alzheimer's. This is not to say that you don't need enough vitamin D. Probably an adequate intake of it can help to keep your bones healthy and keep your body and brain in good shape too.