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Tuesday, March 29, 2011

HIGH PREVALENCE OF VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE

HIGH PREVALENCE OF VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY IN PARKINSON'S DISEASE
Archives of Neurology [2011] 68 (3) : 314-319 (Evatt ML, Delong MR, Kumari M, Auinger P, McDermott MP, Tangpricha V)

Vitamin D insufficiency has been reported to be far more common in people with Parkinson's Disease, but it is not clear whether having a chronic disease causing reduced mobility contributes to this relatively high prevalence. Nearly 70% of people with early Parkinson's Disease have an insufficiency of vitamin D. The prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency in people with early Parkinson's Disease was similar to or higher than those reported in previous studies. Vitamin D concentrations did not decline with the worsening of Parkinson's Disease. People with Parkinson's Disease were also previously found to be prone to Osteoporosis, which is a bone disorder related to vitamin D deficiency.
The researchers offer no explanation as to why vitamin D deficiency is so high in early Parkinson's Disease. Vitamin D is not essential for  the formation of dopamine, the substance whose deficiency causes Parkinson's Disease. Vitamin D is obtained from sunshine, but can be more readily obtained in vitamin and mineral supplements, many of which include sufficient vitamin D to prevent a deficiency of vitamin D from occurring.

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