Can Lithium in Water or a Supplement Prevent Alzheimer Disease or Dementia?

The chances are good that you are exposed to some lithium almost every day of your life. That’s because this natural element is plentiful in nature. It is found in rocks and soil all over the earth. That means it ends up in our food and water supply. Trace amounts can be found in tomatoes, cucumbers, eggs, milk and mushrooms, to name just a few common food sources. Because levels of lithium in water are highly variable, researchers have been studying long-term exposure to this element and its impact on the brain. Is it possible that relatively small amounts of lithium could help prevent dementia? A new study in Nature (August 6, 2025) suggests that “Lithium Replacement Therapy” might be beneficial for the brain.

Could Lithium Be Helpful Against Dementia?

We have been writing our syndicated newspaper column since 1978. King Features distributes it to scores of newspapers around the country. One reason that we have appreciated this opportunity is the feedback we get from readers. This website also allows people to ask questions and/or share stories in the comment section below each post. Visitors also send us email at this address: questions@peoplespharmacy.com.

Sometimes we don’t know the answers—or even if there are answers. But we often find that a search of the medical literature offers fascinating insights.

We received just such a question about lithium and dementia. It surprised us, because we had never considered this possibility before:

Q. What’s your assessment of the value of lithium to prevent dementia?

We did some digging, and to our surprise there was research. We answered this person this way:

A. There have long been hints that lithium might be valuable to reduce the risk for dementia (Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, Aug. 30, 2006).  However, most research has focused on anti-amyloid drugs such as donanemab (Kisunla) or lecanemab (Leqembi). A systematic review turned up a number of animal studies but only a few clinical trials of lithium for preventing dementia (Ageing Research Reviews, March 2024).

Doses studied vary widely. When lithium is prescribed for bipolar disorder, doses range from 600 to 1,800 mg daily. Adverse effects may include diarrhea, muscle weakness, drowsiness, changes in thyroid function and kidney damage.

Much lower doses (10 to 20 mg of lithium orotate or citrate) have been used experimentally against depression and dementia. The risks may be reduced at such doses. Much more research is needed on this possible treatment.

New Research on Lithium vs. Alzheimer Disease (Nature, Aug. 6, 2025):

If you have been looking at health headlines in the last few days you would have seen these articles:

• “Research on reversing Alzheimer’s reveals lithium as potential key” (Washington Post, Aug. 6, 2025)

• “Could Lithium Explain — and Treat — Alzheimer’s Disease?” (Harvard Medical School News & Research, Aug. 6, 2025)

• “Scientists say it may be possible to protect aging brains from Alzheimer’s with an old remedy — lithium” (CNN, Aug. 7, 2025)

They were all based on a study published in Nature on August 6, 2025. This is mouse research. We know; mice and humans are different! Before you hold your nose and ignore the results, let us assure you that this is incredibly sophisticated work! These investigators are heavy hitters at Harvard Medical School, Boston Children’s Hospital and Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, Illinois.

They start their paper this way:

“The earliest molecular changes in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are poorly understood. Here we show that endogenous lithium (Li) is dynamically regulated in the brain and contributes to cognitive preservation during ageing. Of the metals we analysed, Li was the only one that was significantly reduced in the brain in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a precursor to AD.”

“Endogenous” lithium means the lithium that we would normally have in our brains/bodies. “Exogenous” lithium would be that which we take in from our environment, either from water, food or a supplement. These researchers “depleted” lithium levels in mice. Doing so dramatically increased two very worrisome compounds associated with Alzheimer’s disease: amyloid-beta (β) and phospho-tau. Doing so led to inflammation in the brain and the:

“…loss of synapses, axons and myelin, and accelerated cognitive decline.”

The authors conclude:

“Replacement therapy with lithium orotate, which is a Li salt with reduced amyloid binding, prevents pathological changes and memory loss in AD mouse models and ageing wild-type mice. These findings reveal physiological effects of endogenous Li in the brain and indicate that disruption of Li homeostasis may be an early event in the pathogenesis of AD. Li replacement with amyloid-evading salts is a potential approach to the prevention and treatment of AD.”

OK, I get that the above paragraph is a bit technical. But even if you are not familiar with some of those terms, you probably got the gist of the message. Lithium replacement therapy just might be helpful against Alzheimer’s disease!

We need randomized controlled trials to demonstrate whether low doses of lithium orotate will be helpful for humans. The dose that the researchers were using in mice was comparable to “natural” levels in humans. It was not massive, like the doses used to treat the “manic episodes of manic-depressive illness.” That’s old FDA language for bipolar disorder.

Matt Kaeberlein is the former director of the Healthy Aging and Longevity Research Institute at the University of Washington.

He told the Washington Post:

“The obvious impact is that because lithium orotate is dirt cheap, hopefully we will get rigorous, randomized trials testing this very, very quickly. And I would say that it will be an embarrassment to the Alzheimer’s clinical community if that doesn’t happen right away.”

Another Reader Asks About Lithium vs. Alzheimer Disease:

“My late mother suffered from dementia for ten years. I helped care for her, and it was utter hell as it progressed. My sister is about to turn 70, and of course, she’s concerned about dementia.

“I have bipolar disorder, so I’ve been taking lithium to treat it for over 35 years now. A few years ago, I began seeing research on using lithium against dementia. The results from various researchers are impressive, including double-blind trials.

“I have learned that a micro-dose of lithium is all that is required, and not the usual dose necessary to treat bipolar disorder. On average, researchers found that 1.5 mg daily drastically reduced the formation of amyloid-B and plaques in the brain.

“What saddens me most is that I might have helped my mom avoid dementia entirely from my own bottle of lithium! But I didn’t stumble on the research until after she passed away in 2020.

“Now I figure that just one of my lithium tablets (300 mg) would supply my sister with nearly a year’s supply. I am tempted to order a micro scale, some gelatin capsules, and compound my own for her. She’s on a limited budget, and her doctor is not supportive at all. Although I’ve encouraged her to get a new doctor, that doesn’t seem likely.

Lithium in Water?

“Is there a form of lithium water she could drink? I’ve heard that others use it. I doubt there would be any need for blood work at such a low dose, but I would insist she get tested anyway, just to be safe.

“My apologies for sounding like Dr. Frankenstein, but I’m totally serious. I don’t want to wait several more years, then discover she’s got dementia like my mom if I could have prevented it!”

Our Answer:

We don’t know how to help your sister find a sympathetic physician. However, we agree with you that there are a number of intriguing studies hinting that low-dose lithium might be protective.

Research on Low-Dose Lithium vs. Dementia:

In one study from England, scientists found that people exposed to lithium were about 40 percent less likely to be diagnosed with dementia (PLOS Medicine, March 17, 2022).  These populations were similar in other respects.

The authors conclude:

“We observed an association between lithium use and a decreased risk of developing dementia. This lends further support to the idea that lithium may be a disease-modifying treatment for dementia and that this is a promising treatment to take forwards to larger randomised controlled trials (RCTs) for this indication.”

An analysis of three trials found that all supported the results of lithium for dementia prevention (International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, July 22, 2021). Tissue culture studies hint at a possible mechanism (Scientific Reports, Dec. 4, 2019).

Basic research indicates that lithium chloride can reduce beta-amyloid toxicity in the brain (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, 2019).  In addition, it helps prevent the buildup of tau found in tangles in the brain.

Microdoses of Lithium?

Could microdoses of lithium delay the development of Alzheimer’s disease? A study from Canada suggests that may indeed be the case (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Jan. 21, 2020). Before we share the additional research on lithium and the brain, please stay with us while we present a brief historical perspective on lithium in water.

Research on Lithium in Water:

People who drink water with higher levels of lithium may be less likely to develop dementia. That’s the conclusion of a large epidemiological study from Denmark (JAMA Psychiatry, online, Aug. 23, 2017). Investigators compared 73,731 patients with dementia to 733,653 people without dementia. The subjects ranged in age from 75 to 85 years of age.

Measuring Lithium in Water:

The researchers measured lithium in drinking water from 151 communities around the Denmark and mapped where patients and controls had lived from 1986 to through 2013. Those exposed to naturally higher levels of lithium in their drinking water were less likely to have a diagnosis of dementia.

Prior research has linked lithium treatment to better learning and memory in laboratory animals. In addition, people with bipolar disorder undergoing long-term lithium treatment appear to have a reduced risk for dementia. This study seems to confirm these previous observations.

Lithium vs. Alzheimer’s Disease:

There are currently no effective treatments against Alzheimer’s disease. But researchers at McGill University in Canada have published an intriguing rodent study that goes beyond lithium in water (Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Jan. 21, 2020).

Previous research by this team led them to believe that a special very low dose lithium preparation (NP03) could interrupt “…early amyloid pathology stages in the Alzheimer’s-like transgenic rat” (Translational Psychiatry, Aug. 1, 2017).

They concluded that:

“These findings thus suggest that NP03 reverses key AD [Alzheimer’s disease] pathologies in an in vivo AD model, and that it may have therapeutic value in the early stages of the disease.”

The Canadian research involved administering microdoses of lithium to rats bred to develop an Alzheimer’s-like brain disorder. This time, though, the brain pathology was more advanced.

This would be roughly equivalent to when amyloid plaque would be present in the brain and cognitive decline would begin to be detected. In the rodent study, the pathology was diminished and cognition improved.

Lithium vs. Bipolar Disorder, Depression and ADHD:

Over the last several years, evidence has been accumulating that low levels of lithium may be beneficial against a wide range of mental problems. If you would like to learn more about this history of lithium for what used to be called manic depression (now bipolar disorder), here is a link.

Did you know that Mineral Wells, Texas was renowned for its lithium-rich water? People found the water helpful for a variety of mental disorders. The original 7 Up soda had lithium in it. Learn all about this history of lithium here:

Rediscovering Lithium for Mood Disorders
Lithium is a mainstay for treating bipolar disorder. Side effects are scary, but could low-dose supplements be safer and more effective for mood disorders?

You will also find out about low-dose lithium in water as a potential preventive against suicide. There is also interest in low doses of this element for treating depression and possibly even ADHD. Here is a link to our free podcast about this intriguing application.

Lithium Is Not Benign:

Lithium is also found in medications. One of my early mentors was Dr. Carl Pfeiffer. He was head of the Neuropharmacology Laboratory at the NJ Neuropsychiatric Institute. He did some of the early research on the use of lithium for what was then called manic-depressive disorder.

In the high doses used to treat what is now called bipolar disorder, lithium can cause several serious side effects. Not only can it disrupt the digestive system (nausea, vomiting and diarrhea), it can cause an unpleasant taste in the mouth.

Weight gain is another potential problem. More worrisome is kidney damage. Kidney function must be monitored regularly! Other adverse reactions include tremor, excessive urination, thirst, fatigue, muscle weakness, drowsiness,  thyroid problems and visual changes. Drug interactions are common and problematical. Anyone taking lithium must have regular pharmacy interaction reviews. These complications are related to high doses of lithium used therapeutically. The FDA’s dosing schedule for lithium carbonate is 600 mg taken three times daily (1,800 mg).

Low to Micro Doses of Lithium Orotate:

The doses of lithium orotate given to the mice in the Harvard study were, according to the primary author, about 1,000 times lower than the FDA-approved doses for manic-depression. While low or microdoses of lithium are unlikely to cause toxic complications, anyone contemplating such a program must be under medical supervision! Regular kidney function tests are advisable.

If you have taken lithium in low or standard doses, please share your experience in the comment section below. Do you drink lithium water? What’s that like? Has anyone taking micro doses of lithium noticed any benefits against Alzheimer’s disease or dementia?

We are not recommending such a program until well-controlled clinical trials are conducted. Sadly, it is unlikely that any drug company will sponsor such research as there is no profit to be made. And medical research funding has been dramatically curtailed in recent months. Nevertheless, we remain hopeful that some some wealthy donors will fund this research so we can get solid scientific answers to these critical questions in a timely fashion.

Final Words:

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