Vitamin D is supposed to stave off the mental declination of people suffering from dementia and other brain related problems. American researchers found that people with high vitamin D levels are more balanced in their thinking, understanding and behavior as compared to those who have low levels of vitamins.

People taking sunbath near sea

Not only Vitamin D, but vitamin B12 is also supposed to stave off the memory loss in individuals.

Risk Factors:

Vitamin D is important in maintaining bone health, maintaining the levels of calcium and phosphorus, and also helping the immune system to fight against brain shrinkage and mental problems. Vitamin D is mostly produced from the sunlight and the body absorbs it.
Older people are more prone to the mental diseases because their skin cannot absorb as much vitamin D from the sunlight as needed .If they don’t take the dietary supplement of vitamin D and vitamin B12, their chances of having mental problems such as Parkinson’s disease, will increase by two times. Researchers have found that vitamin D shortage in the body increases the cognitive impairment in individuals.
According to Dr Iain Lang from the Peninsula Medical School: "People who live in countries where there are dark winters without much sunlight, like the UK, getting enough vitamin D can be a real problem - particularly for older people, who absorb less vitamin D from sunlight.
This increases dementia among people and it is found that one out of three dementia patients won’t survive for long.
Studies also showed that low vitamin D levels appear to increase the risk of several cancers and auto-immune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes.
Preventive Measures:

A good source of Vitamin D is sunlight, though oily fish, milk, soy drinks and fortified cereals also aid an improvement in the health for mentally imbalanced people.
It is also suggested that individuals should lead a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet rich in vitamins and antioxidants and do regular exercises.