High levels of vitamin D deficiency may cause Parkinson's

American scientists have just discovered that patients with signs of early-stage Parkinson's disease have high levels of vitamin D deficiency.

The results of this study were published in the March issue of the medical journal Archives of Neurology.

Photo is for illustration purposes only. (Source: Internet)

Dr. Marian L. Evatt and colleagues at Emory University and the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center examined vitamin D deficiency in untreated early-stage Parkinson's disease patients.

The results of the analysis and comparison found a high rate of vitamin D deficiency in early-stage Parkinson's disease patients who had not undergone treatment. Approximately 69.4% of the study participants were vitamin D deficient.

Previously, Dutch scientists also discovered that people with high levels of vitamin D were less likely to develop Parkinson's disease symptoms.

Scientists from the National Institute for Health and Welfare in Helsinki, Finland, also conducted a study of 3,173 people without Parkinson's disease, including men and women aged 50-79, over a 29-year period from 1978-2007. At the end of the study, 50 people had Parkinson's disease.

After adjusting for other potentially relevant factors including physical activity and body mass index, the scientists found that those with the highest vitamin D levels among the study participants had a 67% lower risk of developing Parkinson's disease symptoms than those with the lowest vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D is often referred to as the “sunshine vitamin,” because it is produced by the sun. About 90-95% of the vitamin D in our bodies is produced by the skin and only 5-10% comes from dietary sources. Oily fish such as salmon, cod, mackerel, and herring have higher amounts of vitamin D than other fish. Dried mushrooms also contain vitamin D.

Parkinson's is a progressive degenerative disease of the central nervous system, usually seen in people over 50 years old, rarely seen in young people. Men are affected more than women.

According to Vietnam+