Low vitamin D may increase dementia risk. Elderly people with very low levels of vitamin D in their blood are more likely to develop dementia and Alzheimer’s, according to a new study out this week. While most of those studied had low vitamin D levels, only those with a severe deficiency (about 4% of those tested) had an increased risk of dementia. “People who had been severely deficient in vitamin D at the start of the study were more than twice as likely to develop dementia in the coming years as people with sufficient levels…The researchers did not test whether taking vitamin D supplements or changing diet plans would have affected dementia risk.” The researchers added that “It is too early to tell whether improving vitamin D levels helps to delay or prevent dementia – clinical trials are now urgently needed.” They also emphasize this should not serve as a guideline to increase vitamin D use in the general population without more research

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