Everyone should take easy-to-get pill from age of 8 every day to avoid dementia, say doctors
The doctors said that people should be taking the cheap vitamin D supplements - which could be vital for bone strength and play a key role in reducing the risk of dementia
Health gurus are urging people to take an easy-to-get supplement from the age of eight to bolster their bones and potentially slash dementia risks. Doctors say vitamin D is crucial for strong bones and a big player in fending off brain decline.
Experts say our bodies turn cholesterol under our skin into vitamin D when exposed to sunshine - but the UK and Ireland's climate often leaves us short-changed, even when summer rolls around.
Dr Jenny Goodman, medical doctor and member of the British Society of Ecological Medicine, told the Guardian: "I go outdoors with my legs and upper arms exposed in summer, which, I've found, gives me enough vitamin D to last until December (it is fat soluble so can be stored)."
READ MORE: Simple ingredient found guilty pleasure could help lower cholesterol and blood pressure
READ MORE: Four tell-tale signs in your feet that mean you should see a doctor, according to GP
Dr Goodman said she takes a nightly dose of 2,000 international units (IU, equivalent to 50 micrograms) from October to April, not just for bone health but also for "brain health, reducing the risk of dementia [as shown by an Exeter University study] and supporting the immune system".
Health officials recommend we all take a daily 400 IU (10mcg) vitamin D supplement during the greyer months, but some of us might need more.
Dr Amina Hersi, a GP who supplements with 1,000 IU daily in winter said "Like 85% of people with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), I am deficient in vitamin D. I also have darker skin so I need more because melanin blocks out the sun's UV rays."
Dr Lavan Baskaran, a GP specialising in ADHD care, thinks everyone from the age of eight should follow suit. "Unless I'm on a summer holiday, I take 1,000 IU daily. If I forget, I'll feel low, anxious and tired with achy joints."
In a recent study researchers found that mice given a diet rich in vitamin D had better immune resistance to experimentally transplanted cancers, and improved responses to immunotherapy treatment. Caetano Reis e Sousa, head of the Immunobiology Laboratory at the Francis Crick Institute, and senior author, said: "What we've shown here came as a surprise – vitamin D can regulate the gut microbiome to favour a type of bacteria which gives mice better immunity to cancer."
"This could one day be important for cancer treatment in humans, but we don't know how and why vitamin D has this effect via the microbiome. More work is needed before we can conclusively say that correcting a vitamin D deficiency has benefits for cancer prevention or treatment."
Related
Share this page
Guest Posts by Easy Branches
