The University of Exeter Medical School recently conducted a study that began to shed some light on how dementia develops. Some “sunlight”, that is. The six-year study followed 1658 adults, aged 65 and over, and discovered that those who were vitamin D deficient were twice as likely to develop dementia in its various forms.

So the answer is for the elderly to get more vitamin D, right? Unfortunately, as we age, our skin becomes less effective in absorbing beneficial rays – or at least, not without risking skin damage from the harmful rays. This means it may become a case of “too little, too late” for many people. Another issue is that we don’t actually get vitamin D from sunlight; we get the precursors for vitamin D from sunlight, and our livers do the actual converting that makes vitamin D useable throughout the body. This is why it’s important to maintain a healthy liver because all the adequate sunlight exposure is wasted if it can’t be converted to vitamin D.

Many people think drinking vitamin D is the answer, but there are different types of vitamin D (just as there are many types of vitamin B), hence all the small numbers next to the letter. Vitamin D2 is what we want, although many drinks are “enriched” with Vitamin D3, which is toxic. Again, people think they are getting enough vitamin D, but because they’re getting the wrong type of vitamin D, it’s also a waste (and possibly making them sicker).

The best thing to do is to avoid liver-damaging foods and seek out liver-feeding foods. Beetroot (and especially its juice) is a very effective liver-cleanser and stimulator. The only reason people avoid it is because it can cause urine or feces to be of a dark reddish-purple colour. This doesn’t mean anything is wrong, however, so there’s nothing to worry. After taking care of the liver, create and take opportunities to soak in some rays.