<No.602> |
Study: Vitamin D Supplements Might Slow Dementia |
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Vitamin D comes from the sun
and from some foods like nuts,
lentils and fatty fish.
Researchers have found
that low levels of vitamin D could be related
to dementia and Alzheimer's disease,
one of the most common forms of dementia.
Alzheimer's can be exhausting for caregivers
and frightening for those who have it.
"The worse thing that I found was
I was getting lost in the car,
I completely not just forget where I was going -
I wouldn't know where I was."
The World Health Organization estimates that
more than 47 million people suffer from dementia,
with about 60 percent of them
in low- and middle-income countries -
countries with the least ability to cope.
U.S. researchers studied older adults
and measured both their vitamin D levels
and their cognitive ability:
that is, the ability to remember things
and to process thoughts.
"Some of the subjects had outright dementia,
some had mild cognitive impairment
and some had what we would call normal cognitive functioning."
The researchers found
that about 60 percent of the group was low in vitamin D.
"Those who had dementia
also had lower vitamin D status
than those who had mild cognitive impairment
or who had normal cognitive functioning,"
Those low in vitamin D showed more short-term memory loss,
as well as less ability to organize thoughts,
prioritize tasks
and make decisions.
"They were declining about two-and-a-half times faster
than those who had adequate vitamin D."
While this study shows that
vitamin D seems to play a role
in slowing the onset of dementia,
more studies are needed
to see if vitamin D supplements can help slow this decline.
Carol Pearson, VOA News, Washington |
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