Vitamin D Important in Neurological Health

by CP Staff

According to a new study, low levels of vitamin D are associated with an increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a movement disorder caused by insufficient dopamine in the brain resulting in tremors, slow movements, postural instability, rigidity and impaired balance and coordination. According to the National Parkinson Foundation, there are 50,000-60,000 new cases of Parkinson’s disease diagnosed each year in the United States, adding to the one million individuals currently with the disease.

In this new study, researchers measured vitamin D levels in 3,173 subjects between 50 and 79 years of age without Parkinson’s disease. The subjects were then followed for 29 years to evaluate the development of the disease.

The study showed that there were 50 new cases of Parkinson’s disease diagnosed in these subjects. Serum vitamin D levels (25-hydroxyvitamin D) were then determined from frozen samples taken at the beginning of the study for those subjects and compared to study participants who did not develop the disease.

The results showed that the individuals with higher vitamin D levels had a decreased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. More specifically, the subjects with the highest serum vitamin D levels had a 67 percent decrease in the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease compared to the subjects with the lowest levels, even after controlling for sex, age, marital status, education, alcohol consumption, leisure-time physical activity, smoking, body mass index and month of blood draw.

The researchers concluded, “The results are consistent with the suggestion that high vitamin D status provides protection against Parkinson disease. It cannot, however, be excluded that the finding is due to residual confounding and further studies are thus needed.”

Reference:

Knekt P, Kilkkinen A, Rissanen H, Marniemi J, Sääksjärvi K, Heliövaara M. Serum vitamin d and the risk of Parkinson disease. Arch Neurol. 2010 Jul;67(7):808-11.