In an Acta Neurologica Scandinavia study of 182 patients with Parkinson disease and 185 healthy controls, patients with Parkinson disease had significantly lower levels of vitamin D in their blood. Also, patients with lower vitamin D levels were more likely to fall and to experience sleep problems, depression, and anxiety.

The findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may help to treat non-motor symptoms associated with Parkinson disease.

“As various non-motor symptoms place a burden on individuals with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers, vitamin D might be a potential add-on therapy for improving these neglected symptoms,” said senior author Chun?Feng Liu, MD, PhD, of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, in China.