Dementia caused by taking vitamin D? Active vitamin D3 is different from inactive vitamin D3! Doctor: Don't stop using it randomly for this group of people
Can Vitamin D Prevent Chronic Disease? Does supplementation in the elderly increase the risk of dementia?
Vitamin D has been a hot topic in health care in recent years. Many Taiwanese and foreign studies have found that vitamin D deficiency is significantly related to cognitive dysfunction such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Some people also believe that vitamin D supplementation can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Contemporary nutrition mentions that vitamin D can prevent chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension, and plays an even more important role in regulating blood calcium and bone mass in the human body.
The body’s own process of producing vitamin D requires the use of ultraviolet light to convert the vitamin D precursor 7-dehydrocholesterol into inactive vitamin D3, which is then activated into “active vitamin D3” first by the liver and then by the kidneys ( calcitriol), in order to exert the effect of vitamin D in the blood. Vitamin D in the blood is responsible for maintaining calcium and phosphorus concentrations, and works with parathyroid hormone to allow cells to obtain the appropriate amount of calcium. Many observational studies have also found that low vitamin D concentrations are associated with the incidence of fractures.
However, a recent study published by the National Health Research Institutes of Taiwan pointed out that supplementing vitamin D in mice with Alzheimer’s disease actually exacerbated brain lesions and mental deterioration. Analysis from the health insurance database also found that elderly people taking vitamin D for a long time have a 2.17 times higher risk of death, which is quite contrary to public perception. The study believes that patients with dementia and the elderly should take supplementary vitamin D. Consider increased risk of dementia.
Doctor: Correlation is not causation. People with poor kidney function have a high rate of dementia.
Dr. Hong Weijie, director of the Department of Preventive Medicine at E-Da Hospital, issued an article stating that the National Health Research Institutes of Taiwan’s vitamin D research shows “correlation” rather than inevitable “causality.” The data used in the study were for the “active vitamin D3” (calcitriol) prescribed for health insurance, which is different from the inactive vitamin D3 used by the general public.
Dr. Hong Weijie said that in order to be eligible for health insurance to prescribe active vitamin D3, certain conditions need to be met, such as: vitamin D-dependent rickets or hypophosphatemic rickets; hypoparathyroidism; hypocalcemia caused by chronic renal insufficiency; postmenopausal women Patients suffering from spinal compression fractures or hip fractures, etc.
Dr. Hong Weijie emphasized that these groups have some disease states themselves, such as poor kidney function, hypoparathyroidism, and even spinal compression fractures or hip fractures. Because other osteoporosis drugs cannot be used together, other osteoporosis drugs cannot be used together. Since the effect is more obvious than that of active vitamin D3, active vitamin D3 is rarely prescribed as the main treatment drug.
Therefore, many people use it because of poor kidney function. However, patients with poor kidney function have a higher incidence of dementia. The rate of chronic kidney disease and dementia is as high as over 30%. It can be said that the worse the kidney function, the higher the rate of dementia.
Vitamin D is very important for bone quality. Doctor: People with osteoporosis should not stop taking it without permission.
Dr. Hong Weijie believes that there are several key points that must be considered regarding the National Health Research Institutes of Taiwan’s research on whether vitamin supplementation will increase the risk of dementia. First, under the conditions for prescribing drugs under the health insurance, are these patients who are prescribed active vitamin D3 unreasonable? A high proportion of people suffer from severe chronic kidney disease. Is it because chronic kidney disease itself is highly related to dementia, rather than directly using active vitamin D3 to cause dementia?
Second, the amounts of active vitamin D3 and inactive vitamin D3 supplemented by the general public cannot be directly equated. From these two perspectives, the “correlation” between vitamin D3 and dementia requires more research to analyze.
Dr. Hong Weijie reminded that vitamin D3 and calcium are of significant importance to osteoporosis. Patients who have previously used vitamin D3, especially those with osteoporosis, are not recommended to stop using it directly because of concerns about dementia, to avoid causing Exacerbation of original illness.
Source:
Anne M. Smith, Contemporary Nutrition
Shi Deen, Yang Lunxin: Vitamin D and Human Health Deng
Wenxin, Song Yanren, Liu Ruiyao, Huang Xinzhang: A brief discussion on vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency
Dr. Hong Weijie’s Love Talk Space: “Is vitamin D likely to increase dementia?” 〉
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