Overview Parkinson's and Vitamin D

Created June 2010

Parkinson's Disease summary in VitaminDWiki

See also on VitaminDWiki

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Virtually all PD patients have digestive issues (probably need gut-friendly Vitamin D) - Oct 2023

When digestive symptoms signal Parkinson’s disease MD Edge]

  • "The fact that nearly all patients with Parkinson’s disease experience digestive problems and have neuropathological lesions in intrinsic and extrinsic innervation of the gastrointestinal tract suggests that Parkinson’s disease also has a gastrointestinal component."

    Overview Gut and vitamin D contains gut-friendly info:

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Those with PD have 7X higher/lower amounts of certain gut bacteria - Jan 2023

Parkinson's Disease May Start in the Gut and Spread to the Brain Trial Site News

  • "For example, the bacterial species (Bifidobacterium dentium), which is known to cause anaerobic infections such as brain abscesses, were found to be elevated seven-fold in those with Parkinson's and a 7.5-fold reduction in the bacteria such as Roseburia intestinalis which is known to be inhabitant of healthy colons (constipation is a recognized symptom of Parkinson's) was also detected."

Study = Metagenomics of Parkinson’s disease implicates the gut microbiome in multiple disease mechanisms - https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-022-34667-x FREE PDF

See also: Parkinson's Disease and gut microbiome - several studies

Note: Vitamin D massively changes the composition of gut bacteria

Candidate nutraceuticals to fight PD (Oct 2022)

Vitamin D (>50 ng)

1 or more Vitamin D Receptor activators (to get more D to the brain) such as Turmeric, Curcumin, Resveratrol

Vitamin B12

Omega-3 (and decrease Omega-6)

Glutathione anti-oxidant

CoQ10

    perhaps Inhaled vitamin D help lungs - many studies Inhaling it thru the nose gets it directly into the brain

VitaminDWiki - Meta-analysis of Parkinson's studies

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Parkinson's incidence increase 10 X in 60 years

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Parkinson’s is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative condition in the world. (Lancet)

How Parkinson’s Caregivers Burn Out Silently — And How to Cope - June 2025

ParkinsonViewpoint

"caregiver burnout often develops silently, unacknowledged by others and even by the caregivers themselves."

38,900 studies have ( parkinson "vitamin d") (RCT OR Trial OR meta-analysis) as of June 2025

Google Scholar

  • Co-administration of probiotics and vitamin D reduced disease severity and complications in patients with Parkinson’s disease: a randomized controlled clinical trial - May 2024 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-024-06606-9 $40

  • Vitamin D in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review of randomized controlled trials Dec 2023 FREE PDF

  • Does vitamin D protect or treat Parkinson’s disease? A narrative review - Aug 2023 FREE PDF

  • Factors associated with COVID-19 in people with Parkinson’s disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis - May 2021 $16 PDF

    • The PD patents who happened to be taking vitamin D were 11X less likely to die of COVID?
  • Understanding the role of "sunshine vitamin D" in Parkinson’s disease: A review - Dec 2022 FREE PDF

See also on web

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Vitamin D Deficiency-Induced Vertebral Fractures May Cause Stooped Posture in Parkinson Disease - 2011

American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation: April 2011 - Volume 90 - Issue 4 - pp 281-286

Sato, Yoshihiro MD; Iwamoto, Jun MD; Honda, Yoshiaki MD

Results: During the 5-yr study period, stooped posture developed in 34 patients; the rest of the 58 patients did not show stooped posture. At baseline, mean serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D and parathyroid hormone levels were 10.9 ng/ml and 73.1 pg/ml, respectively, in the stooped group and 18.6 ng/ml and 56.4 pg/ml, respectively, in the nonstooped group. Bone mineral density in the stooped group was significantly lower than in the nonstooped group. Dietary intake of vitamin D in the stooped group was significantly lower than in the nonstooped group.

During the study period, 19 (22%) patients in the nonstooped group developed new vertebral fracture, compared with 23 (100%) patients in the stooped group.

The mean ± SD percentage changes in bone mineral density were ?6.5 ± 0.6 in the stooped group and ?3.8 ± 0.8 in the nonstooped group.

Mean serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D after 5 yrs were 7.0 ng/ml in the stooped group and 14.1 ng/ml in the nonstooped group.

Conclusions: Stooped posture in Parkinson disease may be caused by vertebral fractures resulting from vitamin D deficiency with compensatory hyperparathyroidism.

Vitamin D supplementation may reduce stooped posture in patients with Parkinson disease.

Image from the web

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Age-Adjusted death from Parkinson's

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22% increase in prevalence of Parkinson's (age-adjusted) 1990 - 2016

"Age-standardized prevalence rates of Parkinson's disease by country varied greater than five times, with the highest rates generally in high-income North America and lowest rates in sub-Saharan Africa

High prevalence of hypovitaminosis D status in patients with early Parkinson disease.

PMID: 21403017 2011 📄 Download PDF from VitaminDWiki

Remember Vitamin D to forget Parkinson’s disease July 2012

review of 30 year study in Finland lowest levels of vitamin D were three times more likely to develop Parkinson’s, compared with the group with the highest levels of vitamin D.

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Parkinson's may be an Autoimmune Disease (data since 2017)

Perplexity AI - Deep Research March 2025

What is Parkinson's (From MJ Fox)

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Emerging role of Nutrition in PD - vitamin D and Omega-3 are mentioned - 2014

📄 Download PDF from VitaminDWiki.

Risk of Dementia reduced 50% by just using Brain Plasticity Software for just 13 hours - Nov 2017

Posit Science - 10 year experiment, full free text online

Speed of processing training results in lower risk of dementia

PD rehabilitation better with Virtual Reality - Review April 2021

Systemic Literature Review of the Use of Virtual Reality for Rehabilitation in Parkinson Disease

📄 Download the PDF from VitaminDWiki

Excess Manganese increases the Risk of Parkinson's Symptoms (first described in 1837)

  • Excess Manganese in well water

  • Manganese is used for bleaching at pulp paper plants

    • Increased risk of Parkinson's Symptoms if work at a pulp paper plant that uses Mn

    • A friend of the founder of VitaminDWiki worked in a pulp paper plant and got PD

  • Manganese and Parkinson's: Mechanism may explain link March 2019

  • Manganese and Parkinson’s Disease: A Critical Review and New Findings - Aug 2010

  • Manganese-Induced Parkinsonism and Parkinson’s Disease: Shared and Distinguishable Features - July 2015

    • 10.3390/ijerph120707519 FREE PDF - Note: Parkinsonism is bilateral vs PD affects each side of the body differently

  • Parkinson-like Symptoms Worsen with Long-Term Exposure to Manganese Parkinson's Foundation - 2016

    • "manganese levels can lead to progressive parkinsonism, a disease that mirrors symptoms of Parkinson’s but is a separate disease

  • Manganese in manganism, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Batten disease: A narrative review - 2017

    • DOI: 10.4103/0028-3886.217949, "...The collective evidence to date suggests that environmental exposure to excessive amounts of manganese (Mn) can cause a neurodegenerative condition known as manganism. It is now also relatively clear that Mn is involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and at least some prion diseases. The potential involvement of Mn in a panel of other neurodegenerative conditions including Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Batten disease "

  • Metals and Parkinson’s Disease: Mechanisms and Biochemical Processes. Curr. Med. Chem. 2018, 25, 2198–2214.

  • Toxic-Induced Parkinsonism. In Movement Disorders Curricula; Springer: Vienna, Austria, 2017

  • Manganism is a neurological disorder that may occur in response to high inhalation exposures in occupational settings and which is characterized by mood changes and an extrapyramidal syndrome resembling Parkinson disease. 2015 chapter in a book

    • Clumsiness of movement 82%,Exaggeration of reflexes in lower limbs 74%, Hyperemotionalism 71%, Speech disorders 70%, Masque manganique 65%, Spasmodic laughter 47% Difficulty in certain movements 45%, Spasmodic tears 32%, Adiodokinesis 30%

Trichloroethylene increases the risk of PD by 5X - Nov 2023

MDEdge

  • "Research done by Dr. Carlie Tanner and Dr. Sam Goldman about a decade ago showed that in twins who were exposed to this through their work (it’s widely used as a degreasing agent) or hobbies (it’s used in printing and painting, by varnish workers, or by anyone that needs it as a solvent) had a 500% increased risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Importantly, in that study, they showed that there was a lag time of 10-40 years between exposure to that chemical and the diagnosis of the disease."

  • A good friend of the founder of VitaminDWiki worked as an engineer in a pulp paper plant that used

TCE. After retiring, he got PD. Was greatly helped by Vitamin D until his doctor forced him to take < 2,000 IU daily

PD associated with α-synuclein from colon via vagus nerve, due to more meat and less fiber - Dr. Greger Sept 2021

The Role Meat May Play in Triggering Parkinson’s Disease 5 minute video

From research by M J Fox PD foundation

"End of Alzheimers" protocol can be applied to Parkinson's too

The End of Alzheimer's and Dementia if adjust Vitamin D, B-12, Iron, Omega-3, etc.

Section: Bredesen protocol and Parkinson's

Parkinson's death rate increased 63% from 1999 - 2019

Parkinson’s death rate rising, reasons unclear MDEdge Nov 11, 2021

https://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0000000000012826

Some Viral infections increase the risk of Parkinson's years later

All VitaminDWiki items associated with Parkinson's Disease

Associations to PD category:Cognitive 17;   Meta-analysis of Vitamin D 12;   Multiple Sclerosis 11;   Vitamin D Receptor 9;   Falls and Fractures 6;   Top news 5;   Genetics 4;   Virus 4 (as of Oct 2022)

Close Associations

US Parkinson's Disease: 90,000 new cases each year - Dec 2022

NewsMax

108 to 112 of every 100,000 age 65+

U.S. patients living with Parkinson's disease at nearly 1 million,

PD problems reduced by Vitamin B12

VitaminDWiki – Vitamin B12 contains

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TaiChi - 12 weeks online, reduced PD gate and posture problems - Sept 2023

Effects of a 12-week online Tai Chi intervention on gait and postural stability in individuals with Parkinson’s disease FREE PDF

Microplastics might be a cause of Parkinson's - Nov 2023

In VitaminDWiki

Nanoplastics have just been found to be in neurons of mice, causing PD like problems

Poor gut bacteria ==> Parkinson's? - Jan 2024

How gut bacteria connect to Parkinson’s disease Knowable Magazine

Includes link to Metagenomics of Parkinson’s disease implicates the gut microbiome in multiple disease mechanisms - Nov 2022 FREE PDF

VitaminDWiki - Parkinson's Disease might be treated by TENS

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