Try This –The One Supplement I Never Skip (Here’s Why)

When it comes to taking supplements and recommending them to my friends and family, I always follow the research. 

There’s one supplement that has so much data behind its benefits that it’s pretty much a no-brainer for me. I’m talking about vitamin D. 

And if you want to protect your brain health and prevent dementia, you’d better get serious about your vitamin D levels. 

This is especially true for the following groups of people:

• Those who spend limited time outdoors or live in environments with less sunlight

• Those with darker skin tones

• Obese individuals (since vitamin D is stored in fat)

• Those with malabsorption challenges 

• Those with liver and kidney issues 

• And the list doesn’t stop there because vitamin D deficiency is WAY more common than you might think 

From preventing certain cancers, to protecting our bones and hearts, fighting off depression, and now even preventing dementia…you are going to want to get your levels tested and supplement if needed because vitamin D can change your life. 

Let’s get into it… 

I know that my Try This community is serious about brain health. In fact, the focus of this newsletter and my podcast has often been proactive ways to support cognitive health and fight off depression and dementia. 

With that being said, we have to talk about vitamin D.

A major new study on vitamin D and cognitive decline just blew my mind. In this groundbreaking study, researchers followed 12,388 older adults (all initially dementia-free) over about 10 years, tracking who developed dementia​. 

The difference between those who took vitamin D and those who didn’t was stunning. The vitamin D group had a 40 percent lower rate of developing dementia than the non-vitamin D group​. Forty percent! 

That’s a huge drop in risk for such a simple intervention.

There were some really interesting parts of this study that are worth noting. 

• Women saw more benefit than men, which is very promising to see since women are more likely to develop dementia, especially after menopause. 

• Those with normal cognitive function got more out of vitamin D than those who already had mild cognitive impairment, which means it’s important to get your vitamin D levels in check before you start to experience any symptoms. 

• Participants who didn’t carry the APOE4 gene (a risk factor for Alzheimer’s) had a greater protective effect from vitamin D than those who did​, which makes sense, but it doesn’t mean those with the genetic risk factors didn’t see any benefit. It just means they have to be even more diligent with vitamin D and other lifestyle changes. 

Why is this study so important? Well, we currently have very few tools to prevent dementia, and millions of people are at stake. In fact, over 50 million people worldwide live with dementia today, and that number is projected to nearly triple by 2050​. At the same time, there’s a lack of effective medications that can stop or reverse dementia​. That makes prevention absolutely crucial. If something as accessible as vitamin D can cut dementia risk by almost half, that’s a big deal. 

Also, consider this: vitamin D deficiency is incredibly common—up to one billion people worldwide don’t get enough. 

And this is kind of alarming considering how important vitamin D is for our brains. 

There’s also emerging evidence for vitamin D’s role in mental health. One supporting study looked at people with major depression. It was a randomized controlled trial (the gold standard of studies) where all participants were on antidepressant medication, but only half received a vitamin D supplement as additional therapy. 

After roughly seven months, the researchers did brain scans. The results were striking: the group not on vitamin D showed some deterioration in brain connections (i.e., reduced structural and functional connectivity in the brain) while the vitamin D group’s brain connections stayed intact and healthy​. 

In simpler terms, the patients who took vitamin D had healthier-looking brains on MRI scans than those who didn’t. The study concluded that vitamin D not only helped improve mood but also shielded the brain from some of the damage. 

By now, you can see why I’m on top of taking vitamin D, and why you absolutely do not want to become deficient. 

Try This: Optimize Your Vitamin D

1. Get your levels checked: Ask your doctor for a 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood test (the standard vitamin D test) to see where you stand. It’s the only way to know if you’re deficient or already in a good range.
   
   

2. Know your target: For general health, many experts consider around 30 ng/mL to be the minimum blood level of vitamin D for sufficiency. Some research and integrative doctors suggest that an optimal range is higher (around 50 ng/mL or even a bit more) for brain and overall health. Work with your healthcare provider to find your personal sweet spot.
   
   

3. Supplement smart (if needed): If your levels are low, consider taking a vitamin D3 supplement to get into range. A typical maintenance dose is about 1,000–2,000 IU (international units) per day, but people with a deficiency often need more, sometimes 5,000 IU or higher daily to correct it. Talk to your doctor about what dose is right for you. They can recommend a regimen and follow-up testing to ensure you don’t overshoot (yes, you can get too much vitamin D).
   
   

4. Take it with food (fat is your friend): Vitamin D is fat-soluble, meaning it absorbs best when you take it with a source of fat. If you’re supplementing, take your vitamin D with a meal that has some healthy fat—think eggs, avocados, olive oil, nuts, etc. This can significantly boost absorption compared to taking it on an empty stomach.
   
   

5. Soak up sensible sun: Nature gave us an easy vitamin D booster: sunlight. Exposing your skin to midday sun triggers your body to produce vitamin D. Aim for short sessions in the sun a few times a week—for example, 10–20 minutes of midday sun on your arms and legs (without sunscreen for that brief period). The exact time you need varies based on your skin tone (lighter skin makes vitamin D faster, while darker skin needs a bit more sun) and where you live (latitude and season matter). And if you’re in a winter climate or spend all day indoors, sunlight might not cut it year-round, which is where supplements become even more important.
   
   

6. Recheck and adjust: Vitamin D isn’t a one-and-done deal. Your needs can change with the seasons and your lifestyle. If you started supplementing, retest your levels after a few months to make sure you’ve hit your target and not gone too high. The key is to stay in that healthy range year-round. Regular check-ins (for example, a blood test every 6–12 months) can help you tweak your routine and keep your vitamin D at an optimal level.

In the end, a little effort to optimize your vitamin D can pay off in a big way. Given the promising research linking vitamin D to healthier brains and better moods—not to mention the other benefits we already knew about—it’s no surprise this is the one supplement I refuse to skip.

Here’s to your health, 

Dhru Purohit