Vitamin D deficiency in people over 65 doubles the risk of suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. These are in any case the results published this Wednesday, August 6 by an international team of researchers in the American journal Neurology.
After analyzing the vitamin D content of 1,658 elderly and healthy Americans for six years, the scientists detected 171 cases of dementia and 102 cases of Alzheimer’s.
They were thus able to deduce that individuals who were deficient in vitamin D increased their risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s, sometimes to the point of contracting these diseases.
Thus, too low a level of vitamin D would increase the risk of dementia by 53%, and by 125% this same risk in the event of severe deficiencies.
The risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease increases by 69% in the event of a low level of vitamin D, and by 122% in the event of a greater deficiency.
Results that surprised the researchers
“We expected to find a link between low rates of vitamin D and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s, but the results surprised us because this link is twice as strong. » admits Dr. David Llewellyn, lead author of the study.
“Clinical studies are now needed to determine whether eating fatty fish or taking vitamin D supplements can delay or prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia,” adds the specialist. The results are very encouraging, and even if a small number of people may benefit from it, it will have a huge impact on public health. »
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for our health, which allows the fixation of calcium on the bones. It is present in oily fish, canned fish in oil or in egg yolk. But the simplest source is still exposure to the sun, since 15 minutes a day in summer is enough to meet our vitamin D needs. The liver and fat then store it for several months. Older people, however, have more difficulty producing it through the skin.
Worldwide, it is currently estimated that one billion people suffer from vitamin D deficienciesdue in particular to too little sunshine.
And when we know that Alzheimer’s disease affects 44 million cases worldwide, this study is far from negligible.
Sources:
AFP; Vitamin D and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease, Neurology, August 6, 2014
