What’s the Deal with Lithium and Alzheimer’s?

There’s been a lot of news in recent days about Lithium helping to prevent or even reverse Alzheimer’s. My first two reactions to hearing it were:

1. Ugh. Another day, another supplement recommendation for cognitive decline

2. Isn’t Lithium what they give to crazy people?

Let’s start with #1.

We give our assisted living residents a lot of supplements. I do see some improvements in the markers that the supplements target (vitamin D levels go up after taking, you guessed it, vitamin D).

However, it’s difficult to see the supplement directly leading to an improvement in cognition.

For the second reaction, yes, people with bipolar disorder may take up to 600mg daily. That’s a lot of lithium! It does affect people’s moods in high doses.

The study linking lithium to good results for Alzheimer’s talked about 5mg per day. Or even having a trace amount in your drinking water. Apparently regions with low lithium levels in their drinking water have higher incidence of Alzheimer’s.

So I Google’d it. In the United States the areas with the lowest amounts of lithium in their drinking water were in the east and southeast. The areas with most prevalence of Alzheimer’s were, sure enough, the east and southeast. Especially the southeast.

The recent study that came out that stated the only mineral that was significantly and consistently reduced in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients compared to regular patient autopsies was lithium. The study talks about how lithium inhibited a key protein that greatly aids the formation of Beta Amyloid plaques and Tau Tangles - what many believe help cause Alzheimer’s.

They also found that therapy involving giving mice (and humans) lithium orotate salt actually improves cognitive function. Before you run out to the store, make sure it is lithium orotate salt. Lithium carbonate and other lithium salts did not seem to have any effect on brain function.

You can also take a direct lithium supplement like this one.

It even sounds like there’s been a surge in purchasing lithium supplement and lithium orotate since the study came out. A lot of people apparently are concerned about Alzheimer’s.

As for adding another supplement to the long list of supplements I already have for my residents, I don’t know. I guess I will ask the families of my residents, or A Mind for All Seasons, the company that helps us with dementia care.

It might be worth a try. Especially if you live in the eastern or southeastern United States.