Could a Simple Mineral Hold Clues to Reversing Alzheimer’s?

By Christine Sagan, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC

Alzheimer’s disease touches millions of families worldwide, stealing memories and independence. For decades, researchers have searched for something that could not just slow the disease—but actually restore memory and brain health.

A new wave of studies is pointing to a surprising candidate: lithium, a naturally occurring mineral found in soil, water, and even our food. 

Lithium is a natural trace mineral found in soil, plants, and drinking water. Today, many water sources contain less lithium than in the past because:

• Water treatment and bottled water strip out trace minerals.

• Modern farming depletes minerals from soil, so less seeps into groundwater.

• Changing environments (overused aquifers, climate shifts) alter natural mineral levels.

As a result, most of us get far less natural lithium from water than previous generations.

What the Research Shows

• Brain lithium levels drop with Alzheimer’s. Scientists have discovered that as lithium falls in the brain, plaques and tangles—the classic hallmarks of Alzheimer’s—begin to build up.

• The form of lithium matters. Past human trials mostly used lithium carbonate (the psychiatric form), which appears to get trapped in those very plaques, limiting its benefit.

• Lithium orotate may be different. In recent mouse studies, very low doses of lithium orotate not only slowed the disease process but actually reversed memory loss, restoring performance to the level of much younger animals.

• Low doses, long-term. What excites researchers most is that these positive effects were achieved with tiny amounts of lithium—far below the doses used for mood disorders—given over several weeks to months.

Why This Is Exciting

Current Alzheimer’s treatments can help slow decline, but they don’t bring memory back once it’s lost. The lithium orotate findings are the first to suggest that memory function might actually be restored—a potential game-changer if it holds true in people.

What About Humans?

• Small clinical trials with micro-doses of lithium carbonate (not orotate) have already hinted at slower memory decline in people with mild cognitive impairment.

• But: no human studies yet confirm lithium orotate’s effects. Large, careful clinical trials are still needed before doctors can recommend it.

• Experts caution against self-supplementing. Even though the doses studied are tiny, lithium is a mineral that affects kidneys, thyroid, and electrolytes, and needs professional monitoring.

Dose: Right now, there is no officially recommended dose of lithium orotate (LiO) for memory or Alzheimer’s — the studies are still in the animal research stage.

Mouse study (Nature, 2025): Very low-dose lithium orotate in drinking water reversed plaques, tangles, and memory loss. The lowest tested level was roughly equal to ~60 micrograms of elemental lithium per day (in a human-equivalent estimate).

Small human studies (with lithium carbonate, not orotate): Microdoses of ~300 micrograms of elemental lithium per day have shown slower memory decline in people with mild cognitive impairment.

Takeaway

This research is giving scientists and families new hope: that Alzheimer’s may one day be not just managed but even reversed. For now, lithium orotate remains in the research stage, but it’s a discovery worth watching closely.

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