How low Vitamin D increases Alzheimer's risk

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In the largest study of its kind, not getting enough vitamin D turned out to double the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s. See why supplements may not be the answer. Find out which foods to eat.

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MINNEAPOLIS – In the largest study of its kind, researchers suggest that in older people, not getting enough vitamin D may double the risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The study is published in the online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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The study looked at blood levels of vitamin D, which includes vitamin D from food, supplements and sun exposure. Dietary vitamin D is found in:

• Fatty fish such as salmon, tuna or mackerel
• Milk
• Eggs
• Cheese

Twice as Strong

"We expected to find an association between low Vitamin D levels and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, but the results were surprising—we actually found that the association was twice as strong as we anticipated," said study author David J. Llewellyn, PhD, of the University of Exeter Medical School in the United Kingdom.

For the study, 1,658 people over the age of 65 who were dementia-free had their vitamin D blood levels tested. After an average of six years, 171 participants developed dementia and 102 had Alzheimer's disease.

Vitamin D Levels and Dementia Risk

The study found that people with low levels of vitamin D had a 53 percent increased risk of developing dementia and those who were severely deficient had a 125 percent increased risk compared to participants with normal levels of vitamin D.

People with lower levels of vitamin D were nearly 70 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease and those who had severe deficiency were over 120 percent more likely to develop the disease.

The results remained the same after researchers adjusted for other factors that could affect risk of dementia, such as education, smoking and alcohol consumption
Clinical trials are now needed to establish whether eating foods such as oily fish or taking vitamin D supplements can delay or even prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. We need to be cautious at this early stage and our latest results do not demonstrate that low vitamin D levels cause dementia. That said, our findings are very encouraging, and even if a small number of people could benefit, this would have enormous public health implications given the devastating and costly nature of dementia," said Llewellyn.

MORE INFORMATION:
The study was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute on Aging, the Alzheimer's Association, the Mary Kinross Charitable Trust, the James Tudor Foundation, the Halpin Trust, the Age Related Diseases and Health Trust, the Norman Family Charitable Trust and the UK National Institute for Health Research. www.aan.com/patients.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 27,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as Alzheimer's disease, stroke, migraine, multiple sclerosis, concussion, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit http://www.aan.com or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and YouTube

Study: Exercise, tea and vitamin D to ward off dementia ( part 2 )

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

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Mary Brophy Marcus USA Today

The researchers found that participants who had moderate to heavy levels of physical activity had about a 40% lower risk of developing any type of dementia. Those who reported the least amount of activity were 45% more likely to develop dementia compared with those who logged higher levels of activity.

In a second study, including data on more than 4,800 men and women ages 65 and older, participants were followed for up to 14 years. Tea drinkers had less mental decline than non-tea drinkers. Those who drank tea one to four times a week had average annual rates of decline 37% lower than people who didn't drink tea.

Coffee didn't show any influence except at the highest levels of consumption, researchers say. Author Lenore Arab of UCLA says, "Interestingly, the observed associations are unlikely to be related to caffeine, which is present in coffee at levels two to three times higher than in tea."

In a third study, British researchers looked at vitamin D's effect on brain health. They examined data from 3,325 U.S. adults ages 65 and older from the NHANES III study. Vitamin D levels were measured by blood test, and cognitive tests were administered. Odds of cognitive impairment were about 42% higher in those deficient in vitamin D, and 394% higher in people severely deficient.

"Vitamin D is neuro-protective in a number of ways, including the protection of the brain's blood supply and the clearance of toxins," says author David Llewellyn of the University of Exeter Peninsula Medical School.

"More and more studies are suggesting that lifestyle changes may be able to silence the expression of risk genes, a phenomenon called epigenetics," says Duke University's Murali Doraiswamy, an expert on aging. He says learning how to tap into that is going to be a high priority.

Study: Exercise, tea and vitamin D to ward off dementia

Here is a great dementia resource for caregivers and healthcare professinals,

Here is information on being the best caregiver you can be

Here is a way for nurses administrators, social workers and other health care professionals to get an easyceu or two

Here are more interesting dementia brain boosting activities

By Mary Brophy Marcus, USA TODAY
Improved living and diet habits — including lots of physical activity, regular tea-drinking and sufficient vitamin D levels — could reduce the risk of brain decline, according to three studies presented Sunday.
"These are encouraging," says William Thies, chief medical and scientific officer of the Alzheimer's Association. "These types of studies make people think, 'Well gosh, maybe I can do something about this disease.' "

The studies were presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Honolulu.

One of the studies is from the Framingham, Mass., cardiovascular risk study, in which researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, among others, tracked more than 1,200 elderly people over 20 years, 242 of whom developed dementia.

The researchers found that participants who had......more soon

Alzheimer's gene 'linked to Vitamin D'

Telegraph.com
Scientists have found a new Alzheimer's gene they believe could affect how our bodies use a vital vitamin.

By Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent
Researchers hope that the breakthrough could one day lead to new treatments for the devastating neurological condition.

They believe that the gene could be connected to how the brain uses vitamin D, a lack of which has been linked to memory problems.

Scientists have previously found that the onset of the devastating condition was linked to the apolipoprotein E gene.

However, this is a "weak" gene, whose influence would not be enough to cause the illness.

The study looked at the genes of 492 patients who suffered from Alzheimer's disease and compared these to genes from 498 people who did not have the condition.

The analysis was detailed enough to identify single variants within DNA cells which are more common in patients with Alzheimer's.

The variation is close to the gene which uses vitamin D in the brain and has previously been linked to memory, the findings, published in the American Journal of Human Genetics, show.

"It is possible that (this variation) is in a region that may play some sort of regulatory role (with......read the whole story

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