Lack of vitamin D linked to Parkinson...(east not a region with long gloomy winte...)
east, not a region with long gloomy winters, where vitamin D insufficiency is thought to be more of a problem.
In addition, the study found that the fraction of patients with the lowest levels of vitamin D, described as vitamin D deficiency, was higher (23 percent) in the Parkinson's group than the Alzheimer's group (16 percent) or the healthy group (10 percent).
The retrospective study examined 100 people in each group, who were recruited between 1992 and 2007. Every fifth Parkinson's patient from Emory's clinical neurology database was selected, then healthy controls and patients with Alzheimer's disease were matched on age and state of residence.
Vitamin D insufficiency is frequently defined as less than 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood of the 25-hydroxy form (the major storage form) of the vitamin and deficiency as less than 20 nanograms per milliliter. However, most experts agree insufficiency warrants treatment and should not be ignored.
Doctors have known for decades that vitamin D plays a role in bone formation, Evatt says. More recently, scientists have been uncovering its effects elsewhere, including producing peptides that fight microbes in the skin, regulating blood pressure and insulin levels, and maintaining the nervous system. Low vitamin D levels also appear to increase the risk of several cancers and auto-immune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and diabetes.
Parkinson's disease affects nerve cells in several parts of the brain, particularly those that use the chemical messenger dopamine to control movement. The most common symptoms are tremor, stiffness and slowness of movement. These can be treated with oral replacement of dopamine.
Previous studies have shown that the part of the brain affected most by Parkinson's, the substantia nigra, has high levels of the vitamin D receptor, which suggests vitamin D may be important for normal functions of these cells, Evatt says.
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| Contact: Jennifer Johnson jrjohn9@emory.edu 404-727-5696 Emory University Source:Eurekalert |
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