The reasons for which pediatricians recommended doubling the daily dosage of vitamin D in children’s diets seem to be increasing by the minute. Rickets seemed to be the primary concern of doctors – a skeletal disease which softens the bones and can lead to skeletal deformities. The recommended dosage was raised to 400 international units, as children have less and less natural sources of vitamin D. For instance, direct sunlight is a viable source, but prolonged exposure raises the risk of skin cancer.

As recent studies conducted by the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta show, people who suffer from Parkinson’s disease have a vitamin D deficiency. The researchers held the study on 100 patients with Parkinson’s, 97 patients with Alzheimer’s and 99 people with no ailments. All the patients had to be of approximate age and meet several factors cardinal for the relevance of the study’s results.

The results showed that the vitamin D levels in patients with Parkinson’s disease superseded those in healthy patients and patients with Alzheimer’s disease. The exact data shows that in a patient with Parkinson’s the average vitamin D concentration was of 31.9 nanograms/milliliter, while in a patient with Alzheimer’s – 34.8 and 37 in a healthy patient.

Although the findings are significant, researchers need to conduct a larger series of studies to solution the dilemma regarding the prevention of Parkinson. Doctors are uncertain whether increasing the vitamin D average can improve locomotion of Parkinson patients. One of the study’s conclusions is that routine checks of 25(OH)D levels in the elderly are crucial to early diagnosing osteoporosis, cancer and autoimmune disorders.