Researchers identify a common vitamin as being a key Alzheimer’s preventive
Warning: Avoid this dangerous, very common test that’s almost always wrong
It certainly wasn’t good news for Big Pharma. Developing drugs to treat this disease is a trillion-dollar baby.
I recently told you how all of the drugs now used for Alzheimer’s disease are doing nothing to help. Not one can reverse its terrifying course, improve the quality of life, or even help keep a loved one from being institutionalized.
And despite all of the billions spent on studies and trials, researchers aren’t coming up with anything that looks promising.
Of course the best Alzheimer’s “treatment” of all is to avoid it in the first place.
It turns out you can help slash your risk — by a lot. And this new study has just connected the dots for us.
“We expected to find an association between low vitamin D levels and the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, but the results were surprising — we actually found that the association was twice as strong as we anticipated.”
That’s what the study’s author, Dr. David Llewellyn, from Britain’s University of Exeter Medical School, said.
The researchers discovered that people with low levels of Vitamin D had a whopping 53 percent higher risk of developing dementia.
And for those who had a serious D deficiency, well, get ready for this.
They were over 120 percent more likely to come down with Alzheimer’s or dementia.
Now, as you and I both know, there seems to be more good news about Vitamin D every day.
And just about all doctors will tell you how important it is — and how low levels can really affect your health. Even the mainstream media know this!
But what made this new UK study different is that the researchers discovered what they call “clear threshold levels” for optimum brain health.
They said that if your blood levels are below 25 nanomoles per liter, you’re at a much higher risk for dementia. And if your Vitamin D levels are over 50 nanomoles, that means you’ve got enough Vitamin D circulating to protect your brain.
Now, to know if you have enough of these nanomoles, of course you’ll need to get your D levels checked.
And that might not be as easy as it was just a short time ago.
That’s because of some dangerous new advice from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Last month that group released a report for doctors saying that they just don’t “have enough evidence” to say that screenings (for D levels) give any “health benefits.”
Hmm, I wonder if slashing your risk of Alzheimer’s by 125 percent is a good enough reason for those Task Force members…
Or, how about the fact that the UK researchers also reported laboratory experiments that show another amazing brain benefit from Vitamin D.
It may play a big role in actually clearing cells of those brain plaques found in patients with Alzheimer’s!
“It seems to be that vitamin D was actually helping to break down and take away those protein abnormalities,” said Dr. Llewellyn.
Now if this effect was found in one of those Big Pharma trials, you can bet the FDA would be clearing that drug for immediate takeoff.
But here we have these amazing results from a cheap, easy-to-find vitamin, and we’re being told it’s unnecessary to do a simple test to see if we’re getting enough.
So while billions are being spent on finding a drug to prevent or “cure” Alzheimer’s, the answer might well be from something that can be found in salmon and egg yolks. Or better yet, in sunshine.
And vitamin D-3 supplements, which are about the least expensive vitamins you can buy, are an excellent way to keep your levels high.
But if enough people did that and Alzheimer’s rates started dropping, well, just think what might happen.
We’d be seeing a lot less Alzheimer’s — and a lot more drug companies going out of business.
Sources:
“Alzheimer’s and low Vitamin D are linked, breakthrough study finds” Leah Zerbe, August 6, 2014, Rodale News, rodalenews.com
“Researchers say Vitamin D deficiency raises Alzheimer’s risk” Fredrick Kunkle, August 6, 2014, The Washington Post, washingtonpost.com
