Vitamin D deficiency.
 

Reported today. I have been taking Vitamin D supplements for a year now, but can't remember which report caused me to start. I take one tablet 400iu.
Ron

Lack of sunshine linked to Parkinson's
A lack of the vitamin obtained by exposure to the sun has been linked to Parkinson's disease, research has found.

By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor
Last Updated: 2:21PM BST 13 Oct 2008

A study of elderly people with Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease found they were more likely to have insufficient levels of vitamin D than healthy people of the same age.

More than half of patients with Parkinson's had low levels of vitamin D, along with 41 per cent of those with Alzheimer's disease.

Only 36 per cent of health elderly people had low vitamin D.

It is not clear if a lack of the vitamin contributes to the development or progression of the neurological disease or whether it could be a symptom.

In addition more Parkinson's patients were clinically deficient in vitamin D, 23 per cent compared to 16 per cent of Alzheimer's patients and 10 per cent of patients with neither disorder.

Parkinson's patients are now being given supplementary vitamin D in either standard doses or large doses to investigate the effect on the progression of the disease.

The study was carried out by Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia and is published in the Archives of Neurology.

The body makes vitamin D from exposure to sunlight, small amounts are present in certain foods such as fish and cereals and milk can be fortified with it.

Study author Marian Evatt said: "We found that vitamin D insufficiency may have a unique association with Parkinson's which is intriguing and warrants further investigation."

The most common symptoms of Parkinson's are tremour, stiffness and slowness of movement as nerve cells in the brain become affected by the disease.

Dr Evatt said the part of the brain affected by Parkinson's has a high number of vitamin D receptors which may suggest a mechanism for the connection.

In the UK there are around 120,000 people with Parkinson's and around 10,000 are diagnosed each year.

400 IU is pretty low dose.
 

I'd ask for a Vit D test at the doctor's. Many people are coming on the various health boards with neuro and pain issues, and testing very low.

I myself take 2000IU daily for a maintenance dose. (I do not take it in summer when I am outside alot).

There are two kinds of Vit D. D3 is the preferred one.
Milk only has 100 IU in 8oz. and it is D2.
New studies have shown no side effects with doses as high as
10,000 IU of D3 daily.

You can read more at
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

Historically D2 was the only one available for decades, but new D3 is actually very available now OTC and not expensive.
NOW brand makes a nice liquigel..and I'd recommend that over dry tablets to improve absorption.

This new article recommends 400 IU for infants now!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081013/...vitamin_d_kids

Good morning Ron:
 

Thank you for this post. I have been thinking a lot about Vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) because over the last two years it has become increasingly
obvious to me that I have a better time on sunny days, or even days when I just get outside and it's warm enough to stand around in a short sleeved shirt.
I rarely drink milk anymore, and the best source is a little sun. I'm sure thats why I would die for a holiday in Hawaii or Mexico in February. Would we get enough in a good multi-vitamin? How much is enough?

all
 

standard vitamin mixtures reflect the old Vit D paranoia, and
have quite low doses. (200-400IU)

You really have to read the link I gave above.

Within the last 5 years the Vit D research has exploded, and
Vit D deficiency has become a huge priority.

You would really have to take Vit D as a stand alone
supplement. D3 is very INexpensive.

This is the one I use:
http://www.iherb.com/ProductDetails....&pid=8229&at=0

How inexpensive is THAT? And with high quality too.

I'd really recommend getting a blood test first. If you don't, I would not go above 2000 IU until you really know where you are. Estimates now are that 1/2 of all Americans are deficient.

I just heard a report obout this on our local news this evening. Sound promising. mrds, you say you are taking 2000ui. Does it seem to have any effect for you? One thing that comes to mind with being in the sunshine is the sunshine naturally causes an endorfin release. As most know, endorfins go to the pleasure center of the brain. Amazingly, the same place our dopamine goes.

GregD

I used to use cod liver oil in winter.
 

That had 1000 IU.But it had alot of A.

I get out in the sun alot in the summers, at our summer home
in the boonies, on the shore. I come home highly tanned, and feeling great. Then the great decline begins in earnest starting in October. Two winters ago I bought a light visor, and at least I don't have the depressive reactions now.

But last year I upped to 2000 IU in the winter. And combined with the light visor, I am SO MUCH better, mood wise!
I have some PN and arthritic chronic pain issues, so while I am not PD (yet) I am still in that neuro danger zone.
There are new studies even showing increasing Vit D along with light therapy helps too. But I didn't know that then.

Given the low price of quality D3, it is really not even a hardship in any way to provide it.

But what is frustrating is that doctors are testing now for it, and I guess they went to some CME courses that taught it.
But they are treating with the old antiquated D2 which is Rx and is 50,000 units ...and that seems like a huge dose, but in reality it is not, because D2 is not active, and not as useful as D3. But there is no RX version of D3, so they just don't get that part, yet. That RX D2 has been around as long as I have been alive-- older than dirt. Times have changed, but the therapeutic manuals are not up to date. This is also true for B12 therapy and magnesium (magnesium oxide is old as dirt too and not effective we know now).

I purchased D3 at CVS. Thanks for the article. I'll take it regularly in the future.

Productin of Vit D within the body
 

from Dr. Graveline's web site: http://www.spacedoc.net/statins_vitaminD.html

"...Our most important hormones depend upon adequate reserves of cholesterol for their production and nowhere is this more important than as the precursor substance for the synthesis of Vitamin D, known also as calcitrol.
"...A vitamin D precursor is synthesized in the skin from cholesterol in response to absorbing UVB rays. It then gets converted in the liver to an intermediate form. In the kidneys it joins with an important enzyme for conversion into its active hormonal form.
Many factors potentially interfere with the UVB conversion. People having darker skins are much more likely to have vitamin D deficiency. The aged skin of the elderly impairs cholesterol conversion as does the presence of obesity. Our present day emphasis on protecting our skin from the sun, using sun-screens and blockers, also cuts down on the ability of UVB to convert cholesterol to vitamin D. Last but not least, one needs UVB exposure.

Without any sun exposure you need about 4,000 units of vitamin D a day. In the absence of other supplements you would need 40 glasses of milk or ten multi-vitamins capsules daily to supply your vitamin D needs. Most of us make about 20,000 units of vitamin D after 20 minutes of summer sun due to UVB conversion of cholesterol. Numerous studies document that the majority of our society falls short of meeting either their dietary or UVB conversion needs for vitamin D..."

so cholesterol is GOOD for us!
 

My understanding is that we make Vit D from sun hitting our skin, which uses cholesterol to make the D we need...so we NEED cholesterol! What about all those people (like my FIL) who take cholesterol reducers? This is impairing their already reduced (because they are elderly) ability to make vitamin D!

Another thing: if PDers have low cholesterol (as several studies I have read recently indicated) then they need Vit. D supplements even more, because even if they sit in the sun, they don't have as much cholesterol as non-PDers to make Vitamin D.

cholesterol
 

I've about decided that the cholesterol mania is a Big Pharma plot. For one thing, it makes up a big part of our neuron cell structures. For another, the bacterial toxin that nearly killed Ron from his bad tooth is an extreme case of something that is always around at a lower level keeping our immune system on edge. One way we control it is to bind it to cholesterol and transport it safely away for disposal.