Home
Newsletter
Events
Blogs
Reports
Graphics
RSS
About Us
Support
Write for Us
Media Info
Advertising Info
Vitamin D

Low vitamin D levels linked to Parkinson's disease

Sunday, November 07, 2010 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer
Tags: vitamin D, Parkinson's disease, health news


Most Viewed Articles
https://www.naturalnews.com/030314_vitamin_D_Parkinsons_disease.html
Delicious
diaspora
Print
Email
Share

(NaturalNews) Low levels of vitamin D in the blood may increase the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study conducted by researchers from Finland's National Institute for Health and Welfare and published in the journal Archives of Neurology.

Researchers took blood samples from 3,000 people between 1978 and 1980, then followed them for 30 years. They found that people with the lowest levels of vitamin D were three times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease in that time than people with the highest levels.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative brain and nervous condition that produces impairment of speech and movement dysfunction. Researchers do not know how vitamin D might affect the development of the disease, but they have suggested that it might help protect the body's nerve cells from damage.

"Further research is required to find out whether taking a dietary supplement, or increased exposure to sunlight, may have an effect on Parkinson's, and at what stage these would be most beneficial," said Kieran Breen, director of research at Parkinson's UK.

Vitamin D, which is produced in the skin upon exposure to sunlight, has long been known to play an essential role in the formation and maintenance of teeth and bones. Newer research suggests that it also plays a critical role in regulating immune function, thereby protecting against infection, cancer, autoimmune disorders and even chronic conditions such as heart disease or Alzheimer's.

These new findings have called into question whether recommendations for vitamin D intake have been set too low.

"At this point, 30 nanograms per milliliter of blood or more appears optimal for bone health in humans," wrote Marian Evatt of Emory University in an editorial accompanying the Finnish study. "However, researchers don't yet know what level is optimal for brain health or at what point vitamin D becomes toxic for humans, and this is a topic that deserves close examination."

Sources for this story include: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/10601091.s....

Receive Our Free Email Newsletter

Get independent news alerts on natural cures, food lab tests, cannabis medicine, science, robotics, drones, privacy and more.


comments powered by Disqus



Natural News Wire (Sponsored Content)

Science.News
Science News & Studies
Medicine.News
Medicine News and Information
Food.News
Food News & Studies
Health.News
Health News & Studies
Herbs.News
Herbs News & Information
Pollution.News
Pollution News & Studies
Cancer.News
Cancer News & Studies
Climate.News
Climate News & Studies
Survival.News
Survival News & Information
Gear.News
Gear News & Information
Glitch.News
News covering technology, stocks, hackers, and more