2p pill could reduce risk of dementia, stroke and osteoporosis

A common supplement may reduce a person's risk of stroke and osteoporosis, and could even help ward off dementia. A 2023 study found that taking a Vitamin D supplement - available for around 2p a pill - could keep dementia at bay.

Researchers at the University of Exeter and Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute in Canada explored the relationship between the vitamin and dementia in more than 12,000 people who had an average age of 71. Every participant was dementia-free when they signed up to take part in the study and, of the group, 37% took vitamin D supplements.

Researchers found that taking the supplement "was associated with living dementia-free for longer", finding 40% fewer dementia cases in the group who took supplements.

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Taking the vitamin may also reduce a person's stroke risk, as per a 2020 study which found that "vitamin D deficiency is a significant risk factor for ischemic stroke, with sun exposure, sex, age, race, diabetes, and genetics playing a role as well". Experts also stated that "stroke severity and short- and long-term outcomes also worsen with vitamin D deficiency".

And the Royal Society for Osteoporosis says a vitamin D deficiency can increase your risk of osteoporosis and broken bones, so taking a supplement could help protect from these too.