Lack of vitamin D linked to Parkinson's disease


EurekAlert - A majority of Parkinson's disease patients had insufficient levels of vitamin D in a new study from Emory University School of Medicine.

The fraction of Parkinson's patients with vitamin D insufficiency, 55 percent, was significantly more than patients with Alzheimer's disease (41 percent) or healthy elderly people (36 percent).

The results are published in the October issue of Archives of Neurology.

The finding adds to evidence that low vitamin D is associated with Parkinson's, says first author Marian Evatt, MD, assistant professor of neurology at Emory

http://www.nwpf.org/News.aspx?Item=3437

Today's "Independent" reports on a review of all published work on Vit D and cancer (breast, ovarian, colon) over the last 40 years. Conclusion: 1,000 IU daily cuts risk in half. From a PD perspective, however, a sidebar is even more interesting-

Heart disease
Vitamin D works by lowering insulin resistance, which is one of the major factors leading to heart disease.
<Longterm use of Ldopa increases insulin resistance and leads to hyperglycemic problems. The potassium problems that Laura and I are wrestling with are made worse by this as our bodies pump out more insulin and trigger these attacks.>

Lung disease
Lung tissue undergoes repair and "remodelling" in life and, since vitamin D influences the growth of a variety of cell types, it may play a role in this lung repair process.

Cancers (breast, colon, ovary, prostate)
Vitamin D is believed to play an important role in regulating the production of cells, a control that is missing in cancer. It has a protective effect against certain cancers by preventing overproduction of cells.

Diabetes
In type 1 diabetes the immune system destroys its own cells. Vitamin D is believed to act as an immunosuppressant. Researchers believe it may prevent an overly aggressive response from the immune system.
<A primary defense against neuroinflammation.>

High blood pressure
Vitamin D is used by the parathyroid glands that sit on the thyroid gland in the neck. These secrete a hormone that regulates the body's calcium levels. Calcium, in turn, helps to regulate blood pressure, although the mechanism is not yet completely understood.
<Calcium also is needed to make muscles and neurons to work>

Schizophrenia
The chance of developing schizophrenia could be linked to how sunny it was in the months before birth. A lack of sunlight can lead to vitamin D deficiency, which scientists believe could alter the growth of a child's brain in the womb.
<Like the various disorders being discussed in another thread, schizophrenia has some discomforting things in common with PD.>

Multiple sclerosis
Lack of vitamin D leads to limited production of 1.25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, the hormonal form of vitamin D3 which regulates the immune system, creating a risk for MS.
<Same comment as above.>

Rickets and osteoporosis
The vitamin strengthens bones, protecting against childhood rickets and osteoporosis in the elderly.
<I was born with rickets and research suggests that I may handle Vit D with less efficiency because of that early shortage.>

Thanks for the info Rick

So basically, Had I not found out about my own vitamin deficeincy, I was a potential medical disaster waiting to happen