According to an article in the Archives of Neurology, patients recently diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease are typically vitamin D insufficient; however the concentrations do not appear to decline during the progression of the disease.
Vitamin D is considered a hormone that regulates a number of physiological processes. A deficiency in vitamin D has been associated with a variety of clinical disorders and chronic diseases including impaired balance, decreased muscle strength, mood and cognitive dysfunction, autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis and diabetes and certain forms of cancer.
Research conducted by Emory University School of Medicine and the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Centre examined the vitamin D insufficiency in untreated patients with early Parkinson disease. Results from the 157participant study found that 69.4% had a vitamin D insufficiency and 26.1% had vitamin D deficiency. During treatment these percentages fell to 51.6% and 7% respectively.
The study shows that vitamin D concentrations did not decrease, but instead increased slightly over the course of follow-up. This evidence shows that during the early stages of Parkinson disease, vitamin D concentrations do not decrease with disease progression.
