Vitamin d has an aetiological role in dementias; myth or fact?
International Journal of Development Research
Vitamin d has an aetiological role in dementias; myth or fact?
Received 27th February, 2020; Received in revised form 29th March, 2020; Accepted 22nd April, 2020; Published online 30th May, 2020
Copyright © 2020, Ayman Antoun Reyad et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Vitamin D is produced through the cutaneous transformation of 7-dehydrocholesterol by UVB-irradiation with multiple neurotrophic and neuroprotective functions, while regulating calcium-mediated neuronal excitotoxicity. Vitamin D acts mainly through binding to intracellular Vitamin D receptor (VDR) with a possible involvement of vitamin D receptor (VDR) and vitamin D-binding protein (VDBP). This is a review of evidence for the aetiological role of vitamin D in dementias and other neurological disorders. There is contradictory evidence regarding vitamin D supplementation in the prevention of dementia progression. Adding vitamin D to the standard medications used in dementia may have a future role in dementia management.