Dementia is one of the leading causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide, and affects thinking and behavior as they age. Around 487,500 Australians live with dementia and it is the second leading cause of death in the country. But what if you could stop this degenerative disease in its path?
A new study from the University of South Australia could make this a reality, as new genetic research shows a direct link between dementia and vitamin D deficiency.
Investigating the association between vitamin D, neuroimaging characteristics, and the risk of dementia and stroke, the study found:
- Low vitamin D levels were associated with lower brain volumes and an increased risk of dementia and stroke.
- Genetic tests supported a causal effect of vitamin D deficiency and dementia.
- In some populations, up to 17% of dementia cases could be prevented by increasing everyone to normal vitamin D levels (50 nmol / L).
With the support of the National Health and Medical Research Council, the genetic study analyzed data from 294,514 participants at the UK Biobank, examining the impact of low vitamin D levels (25 nmol / L) and the risk of dementia. stroke.
Mendelian nonlinear randomization (MR), a method of using measured variation in genes to examine the causal effect of modifiable exposure to disease, was used to test the underlying causality of neuroimaging results. dementia and stroke.
Professor Elina Hyppönen, a senior researcher and director of UniSA’s Australian Precision Health Center, said the findings were important in preventing dementia and appreciating the need to abolish vitamin D deficiency.
“Vitamin D is an increasingly well-known hormone precursor for widespread effects, including on brain health, but so far it has been very difficult to examine what would happen if we could prevent vitamin D deficiency,” Hyppönen said.
“Our study is the first to examine the effect of very low vitamin D levels on the risks of dementia and stroke, using solid genetic analysis among a large population,” said Hyppönen.
“In some contexts, where vitamin D deficiency is relatively common, our findings have important implications for the risk of dementia. In fact, in this population of the UK we observed that up to 17% of dementia cases could be have avoided increasing vitamin D levels to be within a normal range.
“Dementia is a progressive and debilitating disease that can devastate people and families alike,” Hyppönen said.
“If we manage to change this reality by ensuring that none of us have a severe vitamin D deficiency, it would also have more benefits and we could change the health and well – being of thousands of people.
“Most of us are probably fine, but for anyone who, for whatever reason, doesn’t get enough vitamin D from the sun, dietary changes may not be enough and supplementation may be necessary.”
Image credit: © stock.adobe.com/au/ Lisa F. Young