Vitamin deficiencies may raise dementia risk, finds ICMR-NIN study

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As India’s colonisation lives longer, it is besides ageing faster — a demographic displacement that is driving a emergence successful age-related non-communicable diseases, including dementia. Emerging grounds present suggests that fare whitethorn play a important relation successful however good the encephalon ages.

Diets affluent successful fruits and vegetables, which are earthy sources of indispensable micronutrients, are associated with a little load of dementia hazard factors, underscoring the value of balanced and divers eating habits. A caller survey by the Hyderabad-based ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) highlights a beardown nexus betwixt micronutrient presumption and dementia hazard among Indian adults, positioning nutrition arsenic a key, modifiable origin successful maintaining cognitive health.

While genetics lend to dementia, researchers estimation that astir fractional of cases are driven by modifiable factors specified arsenic hypertension, diabetes, carnal inactivity, slump and societal isolation. Nutrition, peculiarly capable intake of vitamins and minerals, is progressively recognised arsenic cardinal to this hazard profile.

The ICMR-NIN survey examined 570 adults aged 40 to 80 years from agrarian and municipality areas of Telangana to recognize however micronutrient levels subordinate to dementia risk. Researchers utilized a culturally adapted mentation of the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Ageing and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE) score, a wide utilized planetary tool. Cognitive show was assessed utilizing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment portion humor samples were analysed for vitamin levels utilizing precocious laboratory methods. Dietary intake and diverseness were besides evaluated.

Findings showed that astir 40% of participants had a higher predicted hazard of dementia. This radical consistently exhibited poorer nutritional status. Deficiencies successful cardinal vitamins, peculiarly vitamin D and B-complex vitamins specified arsenic B2, B6 and B12, were importantly much communal among individuals astatine higher risk. They besides consumed little divers diets, with higher intake of saturated fats and little depletion of healthier unsaturated fats.

The survey besides identified a wide rural-urban divide. Vitamin deficiencies were much prevalent among agrarian participants, suggesting that constricted dietary diverseness and entree to nutrient-rich foods whitethorn summation vulnerability to dementia hazard successful these populations.

Lead researcher G. Bhanuprakash Reddy noted that arsenic India’s ageing colonisation expands, the fig of radical surviving with dementia is expected to emergence sharply by 2050. “Our findings amusement that micronutrient presumption is intimately linked with dementia hazard factors among Indian adults. While the cross-sectional plan limits causal inference, it intelligibly establishes nutrition, peculiarly micronutrient adequacy and dietary diversity, arsenic a modifiable origin that tin beryllium addressed done nationalist wellness interventions,” helium said.

ICMR-NIN manager Bharati Kulkarni emphasised the request for prevention. “With constricted disease-modifying therapies available, aboriginal recognition of hazard factors and timely involution are crucial. Our survey demonstrates that nutritional factors, particularly micronutrient status, should beryllium integrated into dementia prevention strategies,” she said.

The research, published successful The Lancet Regional Health – Southeast Asia, was conducted successful collaboration with the Stanford Center for Innovation successful Global Health (USA) and Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.

Published - June 09, 2026 12:16 americium IST

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