Lack of Vitamin D linked to Parkinson’s disease risk

To further add to a previous post on Vitamin D3, here’s some more research results: From Yahoo News:

Greater levels of vitamin D have been linked to a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease in a study in Finland where low sunlight leads to a chronic lack of the nutrient, researchers said Monday. Scientists from the National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland, first hypothesized that Parkinson’s “may be caused by a continuously inadequate vitamin D status leading to a chronic loss of dopaminergic neurons in the brain.” After adjusting for potentially related factors, including physical activity and body mass index, those with the highest levels of vitamin D (top 25 percent of the group) were found to have a 67 percent lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease than those with the lowest level of the vitamin (bottom 25 percent), the study said.

Some more external links:

• Vitamin D deficiency soars in the U.S., study says (Scientific American)
• Low Vitamin D Levels Pose Large Threat To Health; Overall 26 Percent Increased Risk Of Death (Science Daily)