Most habits that shape our long-term health, like smoking, raise red flags. But new research suggests one simple habit might do the opposite: maintaining healthy vitamin D levels in midlife could lower your risk of dementia later on.
The paper, published in Neurology Open Access, examined whether vitamin D levels in adulthood are linked to dementia risk later in life. They found that a “more profound vitamin D deficiency” correlated with a higher risk of dementia.
As the authors put it, “Low vitamin D in midlife may represent a potentially modifiable target to mitigate the risk of neuroimaging signs of preclinical dementia.” The authors went on to point out that this study differs from some of its similar predecessors by examining vitamin D intake in midlife, rather than later in life.
The Tau Connection
As the study’s lead author, Martin David Mulligan, told Inc., the reason for this connection had to do with tau protein buildup. “These results suggest that higher vitamin D levels in midlife may offer protection against developing these tau deposits in the brain,” Mulligan said.
Scientists have linked the buildup of tau proteins in the brain to Alzheimer’s disease. Earlier this month, the journal Neuron published a paper which explored the ways in which tau can spread across the brain.
“Small pieces of tau make up the aggregate inside the neuron and spread from neuron to neuron through the brain,” explained one of the paper’s authors, Jeremy Herskowitz, Ph.D. Science may not have developed a treatment for dementia yet, but these recent findings can give us a better sense of certain steps that might prevent it.
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