Why People in Their 40s Should Be Checking Their Vitamin D Levels, According to New Research

A new study finds that vitamin D could prevent memory loss.

BY MOSES JEANFRANCOIS, NEWS WRITER @MOSESJEANS

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Salmon might be the hottest food, keeping your memory alive. A new study showed that more vitamin D in diets could lower the likelihood of Alzheimer’s development.  

Alzheimer’s disease, a brain disorder that causes memory loss and cognitive decline, is partially caused by tau protein tangles, which cause neuron cell death. Analysis of blood samples and brain scans from nearly 800 adults showed that the more vitamin D in someone’s system in middle age, the lower the amount of tau protein tangles they tended to have years later. 

“These results suggests that higher vitamin D levels in midlife may offer protection against developing these tau deposits in the brain and that low vitamin D levels could potentially be a risk factor that could be modified and treated to reduce the risk of dementia,” said study author Martin David Mulligan of the University of Galway in Ireland. “Of course, these results need to be further tested with additional studies.” 

According to researchers, a total of 34% of participants had low levels of vitamin D, and 5% were taking vitamin D supplements. Higher vitamin D levels were associated with lower levels of the Alzheimer’s biomarker tau protein years later, yet there was no relationship between vitamin D levels and the amount of amyloid beta protein in the brain. 

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Amyloid beta, a protein, can break down in the brain from larger proteins. When Alzheimer’s is present, it builds up and forms clumps, causing tau protein tangles between neurons to disrupt communication and trigger damage. 

“These results are promising, as they suggest an association between higher Vitamin D levels in early middle-age and lower tau burden on average 16 years later,” Mulligan said. “Mid-life is a time where risk factor modification can have a greater impact.” 

The current study didn’t look at dementia diagnoses or any follow-up since none of the participants had Alzheimer’s disease at the time of brain imaging. Abnormal tau and amyloid-beta behavior were used as a standard model for the study. Researchers are hoping that the modification of vitamin D in diets can modify the susceptibility to Alzheimer’s. 

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