Alzheimer's disease is a dementia that damages and eventually kills brain cells. Of the different types of dementia, Alzheimer's is the most common, accounting for up to 80 percent of cases. Alzheimer's is a slow, progressive disease. As of 2011 there was no cure. But encouraging studies show a positive link between vitamin D and Alzheimer's disease. Check with your doctor, though, before starting any vitamin D supplementation on your own.
Symptoms of Alzheimer's Disease
Alzheimer's disease is a complicated process of changes in the brain that typically starts in the area where learning occurs. The earliest warning sign is the inability to recall recently learned information. This leads to more severe symptoms, such as changes in mood and behavior, indecision and confusion and paranoia. As the disease progresses, memory loss deepens and difficulty arises with swallowing, walking and speaking.
Vitamin D
Exposure to the sun's ultraviolet-B radiation begins the synthesis of vitamin D just beneath the surface of your skin. Adequate sun exposure is capable of providing you with sufficient vitamin D. But older adults, who commonly have decreased ability to synthesize vitamin D, tend to wear sunscreen and clothing to protect them from the sun, making them susceptible to vitamin D deficiency.
Vitamin D and Cognitive Functioning
Vitamin D receptors act as sockets in cells for vitamin D to plug in. They are present in the areas of the brain that are associated with cognitive functioning. A 2009 study in the "European Journal of Neurology" reviewed 30 years of published data relating to low levels of vitamin D in the elderly and their link to cognitive function and dementia. The study concluded that the reviewed tests were inconclusive. But it did say that vitamin D insufficiency affects episodic memory loss, and further testing is indicated.
Vitamin D's Link to Alzheimer's
A more recent study done in 2010 and cited in "The Consultant Pharmacist: the Journal of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists" linked low cognitive scores and vitamin D deficiency in Alzheimer's patients. It also found that this association is seen in dementia, as well, and more specifically in those with Alzheimer's disease. It added, however, that more study is needed to show causality before using vitamin D as a treatment for Alzheimer's can be recommended.
References
- Alzheimer's Association: What is Alzheimer's
- "The Consultant Pharmacist: the Journal of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists"; Vitamin D and Alzheimer's Disease: is There a Link?; E. Pogge; July 2010
- Linus Pauling Institute: Vitamin D
- "European Journal of Neurology"; Vitamin D and Cognitive Performance in Adults: a Systematic Review; C. Annweiler, et al.; October 2009
- "The Consultant Pharmacist: the Journal of the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists"; Vitamin D and Alzheimer's Disease: is There a Link?; E. Pogge; July 2010
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