A recent study by the ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition (ICMR-NIN) has found a significant association between micronutrient deficiencies and higher predicted risk of dementia among Indian adults, highlighting nutrition as a potentially modifiable factor in preventing cognitive decline and supporting healthy ageing.
The community-based cross-sectional study assessed 556 adults aged 40- 80 years from rural and urban areas of Telangana using a culturally adapted version of the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Ageing and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE) score to evaluate dementia risk and its relationship with micronutrient profiles.
Nearly 40% of participants were classified as having a higher predicted risk of dementia, and individuals in this high-risk group showed significantly poorer nutritional status compared to those with lower risk scores.
Deficiencies of vitamins D, B2, B6 and B12 were markedly more prevalent among those with higher dementia risk, and these participants also had lower dietary diversity, higher consumption of saturated fats and lower intake of unsaturated fats.
Vitamin deficiencies were more common among rural participants than urban residents, pointing to rural-specific vulnerabilities that may contribute to increased dementia risk in those communities.
The findings suggest that diets rich in micronutrients, particularly fruits and vegetables, are associated with a lower burden of dementia risk factors, underscoring the importance of dietary diversity and micronutrient adequacy for brain health.
Dr G Bhanuprakash Reddy, Scientist G at ICMR-NIN and lead investigator, said that as India’s ageing population expands, the number of people living with dementia is expected to rise substantially by 2050, and his study highlights that micronutrient status is closely linked with dementia risk factor burden among Indian adults.
Though the cross-sectional design limits causal inference, the study emphasizes that nutrition, especially micronutrient adequacy and dietary diversity, represents a modifiable factor that can be targeted through public health interventions.
Dr Bharati Kulkarni, Director of ICMR-NIN, said that given limited disease-modifying therapies for dementia, prevention through early identification of risk factors and timely intervention is increasingly important, and nutritional factors, particularly micronutrient status, should be integrated into future dementia prevention strategies.
The study was conducted in collaboration with investigators from the Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health in the USA and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden, and the findings have been published in The Lancet Regional Health–Southeast Asia.
