Comment by hn_throwaway_99 | Hacker News Reader

Comment by hn_throwaway_99 | Hacker News Reader

hn_throwaway_99

I'm surprised there was no mention (at least none that I found when searching) of the relatively recent research coming out of Harvard regarding the hypothesis that low levels of lithium in the brain are responsible for a lot of Alzheimer's cases.

The research is still in the very early stages (largely mouse models, though they did develop the hypothesis by looking at differences in human brain tissue post mortem), but to me my biggest fear is that little research will be done because the "cure" is a commonly available, non-patentable supplement, lithium orotate.

As someone in middle age with a family history of dementia, I've decided to start taking lithium orotate because the risk/reward profile looks so good from my perspective. Lithium orotate has been sold as a supplement for decades, and at those levels it is very safe with extremely-small-to-no chance of adverse effects (e.g. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027323002...), so I figure the worst that can happen is I'm wasting my money, but I'd take that for even the small chance that it helps ward off dementia.

Nah, lithium is only treating something that is occurring much deeper: low glucose transport in the brain.

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8772148/

This is why APoE e4 alleles are a risk factor, because they control glucose transport.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-025-03550-w

The brain is just losing energy.

Interesting. I'm also taking orotate, and like the other comment here, it makes me very sleepy (so I'm taking much less than 1mg/day). Maybe that's the brain working to "take out the trash?"

Earlier today I read a comment here mentioning Dr Michael Nehls who writes about lithium and also dementia (highly recommend his books). Now that comment is no longer there. Hmmm.

I agree with your post and the well-studied safety of it in humans at appropriate doses :) but the study you linked is on rats; and so there’s probably another better study to link.

I experiment and take a small number of less-commonly-known supplements and those kind of studies _in itself_ should never contribute to “it’s safe for humans”.

Anecdata: my personal brain/body didn’t react too well to 1mg a day, I felt somewhat ‘sluggish’ and found concentrating harder, so I stopped after 2 days out of being conservative. Perhaps I’d get used to it, but for me personally, I was surprised at the effects of just 1mg so I didn’t want to continue taking it.

To add some context on the study I linked - that particular study was only focused on understanding why, after decades of use by humans as a supplement, that lithium orotate has so rarely been reported in any cases of adverse effects (all the cases I could find were acute toxicity from taking way too much, like the 18 year old woman who took 18 capsules at once, and still only suffered nausea and some mild tremors). So that study found none of the effects on specific organ systems in rats that you often find in other substances that have higher rates of adverse effects.

My point being, if that was the only safety study done on a brand new substance, I'd agree with you, but the safety profile really boils down to the decades of human use as a supplement.

All that said, I totally agree that many more human studies are needed to determine the actual efficacy of lithium orotate in preventing or reversing dementia.

It’s actually quite simple: 1–5 mg lithium orotate, vitamin D, omega-3 from algae with high levels of polyphenols, a daily exercise routine, and good food—not the processed crap you often get in the US. My grandmother is 94 and still mentally so sharp that she amazes me every time.

https://michael-nehls.de/

Was she diagnosed with Alzheimers, which she then managed to halt the progress of?

It's actually not "quite simple" at all, and I think there is a gulf of difference (often misunderstood) about taking supplements as a personal decision because there is low risk of harm, there is some preliminary evidence they may be helpful, and one can afford them, versus touting them with certainty as the cure to a whole host of ailments without sufficient evidence, which is usually what "wellness influencers" and people selling supplements and "health optimization" programs do.

My grandmother lived to 102 and was mentally sharp right up until she died. She also smoked daily into her 90s.

Every time I read about it and get jazzed I take it and feel awful. I’m guessing my brain chemistry is better without it.

Awful how?

My spreadsheet says it makes me feel incredibly sleepy.

I took lithium for <redacted tendancy> it got to my kidneys never thought of more generally microdosing lithium. Interesting. Full dose yeah flat and sleepy. Not sure it was the reason for flat out brain rot. (Other factors were available maybe just getting older.) Full dose needs blood tests as overdose weirdly bad. From <relative> due to dehydration / holiday in the sun looked like almost drunk but not drinking slopy etc. Slightly clingy desparate for interaction with strangers. <Other factors could have been available>. Not informed of damage relative seemed to recover ok. <Nationalised medical system>.

Ok got minus 2 for that gotta rant elsewhere.

Any side effect goes away if you reduce the dosage sufficiently. In the recent Harvard study the dose was very small when you convert it to a human equivalent dose.

I do try small doses.

Apparently not small enough ("feel awful")

So does any effect as well, though.

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