Insufficient levels of Vitamin D may be linked to Parkinson’s disease, according to the results of a recent observational study conducted in the southeastern United States. The study examined levels of the hormone 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), which is the final stage of vitamin D metabolism, in three distinct groups of subjects.
The study examined 296 subjects consisting of: 100 patients with Parkinson’s disease, 97 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, and 99 healthy subjects. The researchers found that the aforementioned vitamin D hormone levels in the Parkinson’s group were 31.9 ng/ml – nearly 9% and 14% lower than the levels of 34.8 and 37 ng/ml in the Alzheimer's and healthy groups, respectively. Furthermore, a higher proportion of the Parkinson’s group was vitamin D deficient, compared to the Alzheimer's group and the healthy group (23% versus 16% and 10%, respectively).
Previous studies have shown that the part of the brain most affected by Parkinson’s, namely the substantia nigra (a part of the mid-brain where dopamine is produced), contains high levels of the vitamin D receptor, which may be a testament to the importance of vitamin D to a condition such as Parkinson’s. This, combined with the new findings, prompted lead researcher Dr. Marian Evatt to suggest that vitamin D may have a “unique association with Parkinson’s, which is intriguing and warrants further investigation.”
Source: Evatt ML, Delong MR, Khazai N, Rosen A, Triche S, Tangpricha V. Prevalence of vitamin d insufficiency in patients with Parkinson disease and Alzheimer disease. Arch Neurol. 2008 Oct;65(10):1348-52.
For more information see Vitamin D3
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