Additional evidence
The study is not an outlier. More recent research has built on this association.
A study published in June associated vitamin D deficiency with an increased risk of dementia.
Boosting low vitamin D levels to normal ranges could help protect the brain against a loss of thinking skills as people age, the study authors wrote.
“Vitamin D is a hormone precursor that is increasingly recognized for widespread effects, including on brain health, but until now it has been very difficult to examine what would happen if we were able to prevent vitamin D deficiency,” Elina Hypponen, PhD, the senior study author and director of the Australian Centre for Precision Health at the University of South Australia, said in a statement.
“Our study is the first to examine the effect of very low levels of vitamin D on the risks of dementia and stroke, using robust genetic analyses among a large population,” she said.