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The role of vitamin D in reducing risk of Alzheimer's disease

Posted by wbgrant on 09 Mar 2010 at 00:41 GMT

Several recent papers have suggested that vitamin D reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease. Vitamin D induces production of LL-37. Higher serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels have been found inversely correlated with incidence and/or mortality from several bacterial and viral infections. Therefore, the current paper, providing additional support for the hypothesis that infections are an important risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, supports the hypothesis that vitamin D reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

References:
Buell JS, Dawson-Hughes B, Scott TM, Weiner DE, Dallal GE, Qui WQ, Bergethon P, Rosenberg IH, Folstein MF, Patz S, Bhadelia RA, Tucker KL. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D, dementia, and cerebrovascular pathology in elders receiving home services. Neurology. 2010 Jan 5;74(1):18-26.

Gezen-Ak D, Dursun E, Ertan T, Hanağasi H, Gürvit H, Emre M, Eker E, Oztürk M, Engin F, Yilmazer S. Association between vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism and Alzheimer's disease. Tohoku J Exp Med. 2007 Jul;212(3):275-82.

Grant WB. Does vitamin D reduce the risk of dementia? J Alzheimers Dis. 2009 May;17(1):151-9.

Grant WB. Solar ultraviolet-B irradiance and vitamin D may reduce the risk of septicemia. Dermato-Endocrinology. 2009;1(1):37-42.

Grant WB, Giovannucci D. The possible roles of solar ultraviolet-B radiation and vitamin D in reducing case-fatality rates from the 1918–1919 influenza pandemic in the United States. Dermato-Endocrinology 2009;1(4): 215-9.

Tuohimaa P, Keisala T, Minasyan A, Cachat J, Kalueff A. Vitamin D, nervous system and aging. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2009 Dec;34 Suppl 1:S278-86.

Competing interests declared: I receive funding from the UV Foundation (McLean, VA), the Sunlight Research Forum (Veldhoven), and Bio-Tech-Pharmacal (Fayetteville, AR) and have previously received funding from the Vitamin D Society (Canada).