Depression, Low Vitamin D Major Risk Factors for Dementia Healthline
Press statement "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,”
Vitamin D and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer disease
Neurology published online August 6, 2014
Thomas J. Littlejohns, MSc, William E. Henley, PhD, Iain A. Lang, PhD, Cedric Annweiler, MD, PhD, Olivier Beauchet, MD, PhD, Paulo H.M. Chaves, MD, PhD, Linda Fried, MD, MPH, Bryan R. Kestenbaum, MD, MS, Lewis H. Kuller, MD, DrPH, Kenneth M. Langa, MD, PhD, Oscar L. Lopez, MD, Katarina Kos, MD, PhD, Maya Soni, PhD* and David J. Llewellyn, PhD david.llewellyn at exeter.ac.uk
Abstract results
During a mean follow-up of 5.6 years, 171 participants developed all-cause dementia, including 102 cases of Alzheimer disease. Using Cox proportional hazards models, the multivariate adjusted hazard ratios (95% confidence interval [CI]) for incident all-cause dementia in participants who were severely 25(OH)D deficient (<25 nmol/L) and deficient (≥25 to <50 nmol/L) were 2.25 (95% CI: 1.23–4.13) and 1.53 (95% CI: 1.06–2.21) compared to participants with sufficient concentrations (≥50 nmol/L). The multivariate adjusted hazard ratios for incident Alzheimer disease in participants who were severely 25(OH)D deficient and deficient compared to participants with sufficient concentrations were 2.22 (95% CI: 1.02–4.83) and 1.69 (95% CI: 1.06–2.69). In multivariate adjusted penalized smoothing spline plots, the risk of all-cause dementia and Alzheimer disease markedly increased below a threshold of 50 nmol/L.
Summary table by Vitamin D Life
| Health Problem when < 10ng | Increase compared to those with > 20 ng of Vitamin D |
| Dementia | 2.25X |
| Alzheimer | 2.22X |
The surprise is that they found such a low association
- previous studies found much stronger associations
PDF is attached at the bottom of this page
Women 3X more likely to get dementia if prviously had low vitamin D - Sept 2014
Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Concentration and Risk of Dementia
Epidemiology. 2014 Sep 11. [Epub ahead of print]
Knekt P1, Sääksjärvi K, Järvinen R, Marniemi J, Männistö S, Kanerva N, Heliövaara M.
BACKGROUND::
High vitamin D status has been hypothesized to protect against dementia. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) level predicts dementia risk.
METHODS::
The study was based on the Mini-Finland Health Survey. The study population consisted of 5010 men and women, aged 40-79 years, and free of dementia at baseline. During a 17-year follow up, 151 incident cases of dementia (International Classification of Diseases, revision 8, code 290) occurred, according to population registers. Serum 25(OH)D concentration was determined from serum samples frozen at -20°C and stored at baseline.
RESULTS::
Among women, these with higher serum 25(OH)D concentrations showed a reduced risk of dementia.
The hazard ratio between the highest and lowest quartiles of serum 25(OH)D was 0.33 (95% confidence interval = 0.15-0.73) in women
and 0.74 (0.29-1.88) in men, after adjustment for age, month of blood draw, education, marital status, physical activity, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, blood pressure, plasma fasting glucose, serum triglycerides, and serum total cholesterol.
CONCLUSIONS::
The results are in line with the hypothesis that low vitamin D status may be a risk factor for dementia.
PMID: 25215530
See also Vitamin D Life
- The "Surprising Link" Between Vitamin D Deficiency and Dementia (not a surprise) - Oct 2015
- Overview Alzheimer's-Cognition and Vitamin D has a graph of the increase in dementia which is age adjusted (compensated for seniors living longer)
Age Adjusted Death from Dementia (Finland)
and has the following summary (some of the following hyperlinks below do not work on this page - you have to go to the Overview page)
- FACT: Cognitive decline is 19X more likely if low vitamin D
- FACT: Dementia is associated with low vitamin D levels.
- FACT: Alzheimer’s Dementia 2.3X more likely in elderly if low vitamin D – Dec 2022
- FACT: Dementia is associated with low vitamin D - many studies
- FACT: Alzheimer's Disease is 4X less likely if high vitamin D
- FACT: Every single risk factor listed for Alzheimer's Disease is also a risk factor for low vitamin D levels
- FACT: Elderly cognition gets worse as the elderly vitamin D levels get even lower (while in senior homes)
- OBSERVATION: Reports of increased vitamin D levels result in improved cognition
- OBSERVATION: Alzheimer’s patients 3X more likely to have a malfunctioning vitamin D receptor gene – 2012
- OBSERVATION: Alzheimer's Disease has been seen to halt when vitamin D was added.
- OBSERVATION: Alzheimer’s is associated with all 7 of the genes which restrict vitamin D
- OBSERVATION: 39 vitamin D and Alz. or Cognition intervention trials as of Sept 2018
- OBSERVATION: 2 Meta-analysis in 2012 agreed that Alzheimer's Disease. associated with low vitamin D
- OBSERVATION: 50X increase in Alzheimer's while decrease in vitamin D
- OBSERVATION: Vitamin D reduces Alzheimer’s disease in 11 ways
- OBSERVATION: Alzheimer’s cognition improved by 4,000 IU of vitamin D
- OBSERVATION: Plaque removed in mice by equiv. of 14,000 IU daily
- OBSERVATION: DDT (which decreases Vit D) increases risk of Alzheimer's by up to 3.8X
- OBSERVATION: 2% of people have 2 copies of the poor gene reference: Alz Org
- OBSERVATION: Genes do not change rapidly enough to account for the huge increase in incidence
- OBSERVATION: End of Alzheimer's videos, transcripts and many studies protocol has been very successful
- It adjusts Vitamin D, B-12, Iron, Omega-3, food, etc, and can now be done at home.
- FACT: Vitamin D is extremely low cost and has very very few side effects
- CONCLUSION: Everyone concerned about cognitive decline or Alzheimer's Disease should take vitamin D
- PREDICTION MET: By 2024 Omega-3 and high dose Vitamin D will be found to reverse Alzheimer's in humans
There are 13+ Alzheimer’s meta-analyses in Vitamin D Life
There are 97+ Alzheimer’s studies in Vitamin D Life
Dementia is associated with low vitamin D - many studies 50+ studies
16+ studies in both categories Cognitive and Omega-3
The TOP articles in Cognitive and Vitamin D are listed here:
- Brain scans noticed changes in most elderly after COVID infection – March 2022
- End of Alzheimer's video and transcript - Oct 2021
- Mental disorders fought by Omega-3 etc. - meta-meta-analysis Oct 2019
- Little sun in first trimester, 2.9 X more likely to have learning disabilities – June 2019
- Alzheimer’s is associated with all 7 of the genes which restrict vitamin D from getting to tissues – Sept 2018
- Amyloid brain plaque both prevented and removed by high vitamin D (in mice) – Aug 2018
- Adding Iodine to salt added 11 percent to goiter states income (how much might vitamin D add) – July 2018
- Cerebral small vessel disease 2.5 X more likely if poor Vitamin D Receptor – Sept 2018
- Adding Vitamin D, Omega-3, etc to children’s milk improved memory (yet again) – RCT June 2018
- Omega-3 and Vitamin D each treat many mental health problems - April 2018
- Slower cognitive decline if higher vitamin D (1500 adults, 5 years) – Feb 2018
- Vitamin D and Multiple Sclerosis, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's ,Dementia, and ALS - review Nov 2017
- ALL of the top 10 health problems of women are associated with low vitamin D
- Dementia surprisingly associated with low vitamin D (should not a surprise) – Aug 2014
- Schizophrenia increased 40 percent for Spring births after Danes stopped vitamin D fortification – April 2014
- Cognition and vitamin D – summary of expert opinions – July 2014
- Cognition declined somewhat if low vitamin D – March 2014
- Fewer white spots in MRI brain scans if had more vitamin D – Jan 2014
- Diabetics with low vitamin D had more cognitive impairment– Aug 2013
- Fewest Google searches for Mental Health when there is lots of vitamin D from the sun – May 2013
- Vitamin D reduces Alzheimer’s disease in at least 11 ways – Jan 2013
- Age-related cognitive decline in rats mitigated by Vitamin D intervention – RCT Oct 2012
- Alzheimer's Disease more likely with low vitamin D – meta-analysis Oct 2012
- Lewy Body Dementia (Robin Williams) and low Vitamin D
- 80 year olds had better cognition and stood better if high level of vitamin D – Sept 2012
- Cognitive Impairment 2.4X more likely if low vitamin D – meta-analysis July 2012
- Overview Schizophrenia and Vitamin D
See also web
- Video by the author of the study
- The Single Vitamin That's a Double Whammy Against Both Depression and Dementia (Mercola) – Aug 2014 report on this study
- Audio interview of Llewellyn Vitamin D Council Sept 2014