How does vitamin D help Alzheimer’s

Staying alive

It’s nearly impossible to keep up with news on vitamin D these days. Seems every week there’s a study showing even more health benefits from this vitamin that was virtually unknown a decade ago.

Two new studies have taken a closer look at vitamin D. One group of researchers has discovered exactly how it protects the brain from Alzheimer’s disease. Another report finds that vitamin D even keeps elderly people living longer.

How does vitamin D help Alzheimer’s?

A group of UCLA researchers published their findings in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.

They tested blood samples from 20 patients with Alzheimer’s and 20 who did not have dementia.  In a complex laboratory study, the researchers found that vitamin D-3 triggers a cascade of specific genes and signals that stimulate the immune system. A process which helps eradicate amyloid-beta cells. These cells have been found to trigger damaging brain plaque that leads to dementia and Alzheimer’s.

And, if that’s not enough to keep you popping vitamin D, here’s more…

A second study looked at vitamin D levels in elderly women (over age 70) living in Austrian nursing homes. These researchers found that over a two-year period, more deaths occurred among women with low vitamin D levels.

In fact, after many other possible factors were weighed, low vitamin D still came out as the leading factor among the deceased women. They published their study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

I can’t say it enough. It’s imperative that you get plenty of vitamin D every day. Just 10 minutes of sun exposure daily is all it takes. But if you’re wearing sun screen (which you should), you likely aren’t getting sufficient amounts. That’s where supplements are essential. I recommend at least 2,000-5,000 IU per day of vitamin D-3 (the active form of the nutrient)–and be sure to get your blood levels checked periodically by your physician.

You’ll thank me in your old age.