Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
Deficiencies of key vitamins, including vitamins D, B2, B6 and B12, are associated with a higher risk of dementia among Indian adults, according to a new study by the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN), highlighting the critical role of nutrition in protecting brain health as the country’s population ages.
Published in The Lancet Regional Health, the study found that nearly 40 per cent of participants were classified as having a higher predicted risk of dementia, and those individuals were significantly more likely to have poor nutritional status and inadequate dietary diversity.
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The research comes at a time when India is witnessing a rapid increase in its elderly population, a demographic shift that is expected to drive a sharp rise in age-related conditions such as dementia.
Low- and middle-income countries, including India, already account for nearly 60 per cent of the global dementia burden.
The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health in the US and Sweden’s Karolinska Institute.
The findings add to growing global evidence that improving nutrition may play an important role in promoting healthy ageing and reducing the burden of cognitive decline.
NUTRITIONAL DEFICIT & DEMENTIA
The community-based cross-sectional study involved 570 adults aged 40 to 80 years from both rural and urban areas of Telangana.
Researchers assessed dementia risk using a culturally adapted version of the widely used Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Ageing and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE) score. Cognitive performance was evaluated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), while blood samples were analysed to determine vitamin levels. Dietary intake and diversity were also examined.
The findings revealed a clear association between higher dementia risk and poorer nutrition. Participants in the high-risk category were more likely to be deficient in vitamins D, B2, B6 and B12.
They also consumed less diverse diets, ate more saturated fats and had a lower intake of healthier unsaturated fats.
The study further found that vitamin deficiencies were more prevalent among rural residents than urban participants, suggesting that rural populations may face unique nutritional vulnerabilities that could contribute to elevated dementia risk.
Researchers also observed that diets rich in micronutrients, especially fruits and vegetables, were linked to a lower burden of dementia risk factors.
PREVENTION MAY HOLD THE KEY
Lead investigator Dr G. Bhanuprakash Reddy and senior scientist at ICMR-NIN underlined that as India’s ageing population continues to expand, the number of people living with dementia is expected to rise substantially by 2050.
While cautioning that the cross-sectional design of the study does not establish a cause-and-effect relationship, Dr Reddy said the findings underscore the importance of nutrition as a potentially modifiable risk factor.
He noted that adequate micronutrient intake and greater dietary diversity could be targeted through public health interventions aimed at reducing dementia risk.
ICMR-NIN Director Dr Bharati Kulkarni said that with effective disease-modifying treatments for dementia still limited, prevention has become increasingly important. She said the study provides evidence that nutritional factors, particularly micronutrient status, should be incorporated into future dementia prevention strategies through early identification of risk factors and timely intervention.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
