Taking vitamin D supplements is associated with a lower risk of dementia, a large-scale study conducted by Calgary and Exeter universities has found.
Researchers explored the relationship between vitamin D dietary supplements and dementia among more than 12,000 US participants, finding that taking the vitamin appeared in result in living dementia-free for longer and a 40% reduction in dementia diagnoses.
Professor Zahinoor Ismail, who led the research, said: “We know that vitamin D has some effects in the brain that could have implications for reducing dementia. However, so far, research has yielded conflicting results. Overall, we found evidence to suggest that earlier supplementation might be particularly beneficial, before the onset of cognitive decline.”
The study was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Diagnosis, Assessment & Disease Monitoring.