Key dementia prevention vitamins
Table of Contents
Vitamins are a big topic in today’s wellness world.
We’ll explore vitamins in more depth at aldora with our growing library of guides, helping you learn which vitamins are helpful and which are just hype.
In this article, we start with 4 validated vitamins accepted by modern medicine as important for memory & health.
Vitamins and supplements are all the rage - but which ones do you really need?
Why do people become deficient in vitamins?
There are two reasons why your body can become low in important vitamins:
You aren’t eating enough foods that contain the vitamins
Your body isn’t absorbing the vitamins from the food
This means that if you eat a balanced, healthy diet, you will not have to worry about being deficient in most vitamins, as long as you are able to absorb them properly.
HOWEVER, the longer we live, the less our bodies can absorb certain vitamins, which can lead to deficiencies later in life.
Other gut/stomach conditions or drug interactions can also reduce your absorption.
We also know that in today’s world it can be hard to always eat a healthy diet, meaning that many of us can become low in some vitamins over time.
If you eat a healthy MIND diet, you can get most vitamins naturally.
Which vitamins should I take for dementia prevention?
In this article, we have selected 3 vitamins - B12, B1, and D3- as the top vitamins you should focus on first. These make up the majority of reversible cognitive impairment from vitamin deficiencies and/or overall health & longevity.
We have also included a multivitamin as new research suggests it can help prevent dementia, and it’s also a simple and practical way to cover our bases if we’re not eating as well as we’d like to be.
Vitamin B12 (Cyanocobalamin)
Vitamin B12, or cyanocobalamin, is an important vitamin for your nervous system and the brain.
It has a finicky absorption - it is only absorbed in the small intestine and only in the presence of something called “Intrinsic Factor”. This intrinsic factor becomes low in most of us as we age.
Therefore, no matter how much B12-rich foods we eat, it is possible to become low in this vitamin over time.
You can find B12 in: Meat, fish, dairy products, fortified cereals, and nutritional yeast.
The target level is: >300 pmol/L
*Note that many labs report a level of >250 as normal. Amongst dementia experts, we tend to recommend people replace their B12 to keep it above 300.
You can replace it with:
A pill: B12 1000 mcg, one tablet daily
An injection: B12 1000mcg/mL, once a month intramuscularly.
Is there an upper limit? Technically, no. There is no known harm of having high B12 in your body, although if you are not on supplementation and the level is very high, this can sometimes be a sign of something else going on, but this is very rare.
In general, once you start taking B12 for a low blood level, it’s okay to continue taking the replacement vitamin for the rest of your life.
Remember how salmon is part of the MIND diet? Well, it's high in B12.
Vitamin B1 (Thiamine)
Vitamin B1, or Thiamine, is also extremely important for proper brain health and memory formation.
However, most of us do not become deficient in B1 unless we have absorption issues due a gut disease (such as Crohn’s, ulcerative colitis, etc), or due to long-term alcohol use.
Deficiencies in B1 can lead to a form of dementia called Wernicke-Korsakoff, which is a serious and irreversible disease.
You can find B1 in: Whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, fish, eggs, peas, spinach.
The target level is: we do not measure thiamine levels routinely in Canada. However, if you think you might be low due to gut issues or alcohol use, you should simply start taking a daily vitamin.
If someone consumes large amounts of alcohol (more than 8 drinks a week), it might be a good idea to start taking Thiamine
You can replace it with:
A pill: Thiamine 100mg, one tablet daily
An injection: B12 500mg IV x 3 days then 100mg IV x 4 days then switch to oral pills (this is usually only available in hospital in Canada).
*Many multivitamins contain your daily dose of Thiamine.
Remember how legumes are part of the MIND diet? Well, they're high in B1.
Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)
Vitamin D is important for bone health and the brain.
We make Vitamin D3 in our skin when exposed to UVB radiation. For those of us who live in the northern hemisphere, it is very common to become deficient due to lack of sun exposure.
This is why it’s a good idea for most of us to take a replacement, especially in the winter.
You can get it in: sun, fish, egg yolks.
The target level is: between 75 and 250 nmol/L
You can replace it with: Vitamin D3 1000units or 2000 units daily
Can you overdose? Yes. You do not want to take too much Vitamin D as it can lead to high levels of calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia), kidney stones, bone loss (the opposite of what you’re trying to do!), and heart problems.
For this reason, you should not take more than 2000 units a day without the guidance of a healthcare provider.
Sunlight is our main source of Vitamin D3.
Multivitamin
When in doubt, take a multivitamin.
Essentially, set and forget. The worry and hassle of figuring out what dose, and which vitamins, is all taken care of for you by the makers of the one-stop-wonder that is a multivitamin.
There are also options with specific targets - men, women, >65 years of age, etc.
You can get it in: a balanced diet
You can replace it with: Daily multivitamin, one or two daily (read the label)
Can you overdose? Yes. If you take too many vitamins, especially of the fat-soluble ones, you can accumulate more than the recommended value in your body. This can lead to other health issues. Take the recommended amount on the label to avoid causing yourself harm.
A once-a-day multivitamin might be all you need.
In Closing…
Vitamins are important for health & memory, and we can get most of them from our foods.
Following the MIND diet will get you most of what you need, however for extra precaution, make sure you have enough:
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B1
Vitamin D3
If you are worried about your diet, a simple multivitamin (which often includes B12, B1, and D3 amongst others), can be an easy addition to your dementia prevention routine.
Eat well… and when in doubt, take a multivitamin plus B12, B1, and D3.
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