A study published in the October issue of the Archives of Neurology has revealed that Parkinson’s patients are more prone to vitamin D deficiency than other people.

Researchers from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta looked at vitamin D levels in 100 Parkinson's patients, 97 Alzheimer's disease ones and 99 healthy persons, finding that 55% of the people in the former group suffered from vitamin D insufficiency, compared to only 41% of the second group and 36% of the third one.

Results of the tests showed that the average vitamin D concentration for the Parkinson’s patients was 31.9 nanograms per milliliter, while among those who had Alzheimer’s disease, the concentration level was 34.8 nanograms per milliliter. The healthy persons’ average concentration was reported to have been 37 nanograms.

Scientists revealed that further investigation into the matter was necessary in order to determine whether normal levels of vitamin D could improve Parkinson’s patients’ motor or non-motor symptoms.

Nevertheless, the study shed light on the fact that regularly checking vitamin D concentration levels in elderly people was needed, given that insufficiency and deficiency increase the risk of osteoporosis, falls and hip fractures, they added.

Vitamin D deficiency has also been linked to higher proneness to different forms of cancer and autoimmune disorders.

Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that causes impairment of the affected person’s motor skills, speech and several other functions. It is characterized by muscle rigidity and tremor and can often come to render the patient incapable of moving.

Vitamin D is necessary for bone growth and bone remodeling and also enables the normal mineralization of bones, by regulating the calcium and phosphorus levels in the blood.