Studies consistently find vitamin D3 deficiencies in persons diagnosed with Parkinsons. On the one hand, you might say to yourself – so what? There are so many presumed deficiencies reported for subjects in the studies. Should you take this one that seriously?
My answer is yes. While there are over 120 natural treatments and therapies that help reverse symptoms, the sunshine vitamin (D3) lies at the foundation of what keeps us alive.
Put aside the complexity of the dozens of recommendations reported to help people celebrate relief from their symptoms. What is really necessary?
- Sunshine
- Water
- Air
We become ill when any of these are missing or deficient. These are the essentials that keep us alive day in and day out.
None of us would have issues with vitamin D3 if the sun shined every day. In the pacific northwest, we do not see the sun for months on end some winters. Most people who live in sunshine deprived areas have a life threatening Vitamin D3 (sunshine) deficiency.
Cardiologists will be the first to tell you heart disease is more common in the winter months. Blood pressure is highest in the winter and for persons who live far from the equator.
Studies have also reported the lowest levels of vitamine D3 are associated with the highest rates of breast cancer.
In any season of the year, the lower the vitamin D3, the higher the blood glucose. This poses problems for the many people with Parkinsons symptoms that have insulin resistance.
In short, optimizing your exposure to the sun and taking supplements to address D3 deficiencies is one of the most important steps you can take to support recovery and sustain overall health.
The best option is always to spend as much time outdoors in the possible. There are benefits even when the sun is not shining brightly. When the sun is not shining, supplementation is recommended.
Studies on Vitamin D3 and Parkinsons
Adv Exp Med Biol. 2026:1493:51-67. Vitamin D and Brain Health
Abstract
Vitamin D is widely known for its influence on the homeostasis of calcium and phosphate levels in the body and its involvement in maintaining musculoskeletal health. In its active form, 1,25-dihydroxy cholecalciferol has immunomodulatory effects on both the innate and adaptive immune systems.
The active form of vitamin D plays a neuroprotective role in the central nervous system, highlighting its importance in maintaining brain health. Studies have noted the role of vitamin D in the formation of antioxidants, reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, lowering of oxidative stress, improvement of mitochondrial respiratory health, and slowing of the progression of neuronal damage. This vitamin may also influence development by facilitating the differentiation of cells, the expression of neurotrophic factors, the regulation of cytokines, the synthesis of neurotransmitters, intracellular calcium signaling, and the expression of genes involved in neuronal differentiation.
An association has been noted between vitamin D deficiency and the risk of developing several neuronal diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, headaches, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer’s disease. The neuroprotective role of vitamin D suggests the potential benefit of vitamin supplementation in slowing the progression of such conditions and promoting brain health.
Curr Nutr Rep. 2025 Jun 4;14(1):77. Vitamin D and Neurodegenerative Diseases Such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS): A Review of Current Literature
Abstract
Purpose of review: This review explores the role of Vitamin D3 and its derivatives as inhibitors of pathological metabolic modifications in neurodegenerative diseases. The manuscript investigates how Vitamin D3 impacts neuronal calcium regulation, antioxidative pathways, immunomodulation, and neuroprotection during detoxification, beyond its known functions in intestinal, bone, and kidney calcium and phosphorus absorption, as well as bone mineralization.
Recent findings: Recent studies have highlighted the synthesis of the active metabolite 1,25(OH)2D3 (vitamin D) in glial cells via the hydroxylation process of CY-P24A1, an enzyme in the cytochrome P450 system in the brain. The effects of vitamin D occur through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), a nuclear steroid receptor, which has been identified in various brain regions, including the cerebellum, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, hippocampus, olfactory system, temporal, and orbital regions.
Neurodegeneration is primarily associated with oxidative stress, protein aggregation, neuro-inflammation, mitochondrial dysfunction, apoptosis, and autophagy changes, all of which Vitamin D and VDR are believed to influence. Vitamin D and VDR are recognized as both environmental and genetic factors in the etiopathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s Disease (PD), Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
A deficiency in Vitamin D is postulated to have detrimental effects on the brain and other diseases throughout various stages of life. This review consolidates findings from clinical and experimental studies, as well as past publications, focusing on the implications of Vitamin D deficiency in these neurodegenerative conditions. Current articles published in PubMed were extensively considered for this review.
ReviewMolecules. 2025 Sep 21;30(18):3823. Vitamin D Associated with Exercise Can Be Used as a Promising Tool in Neurodegenerative Disease Protection
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, and Huntington’s disease, represent unmet medical and social needs. Still, no definitive cure exists for these illnesses, hence a therapeutic approach with molecules able to prevent/downtone/modify the disease seems highly attractive.
Remarkably, a higher risk of neurodegenerative disease is associated with low vitamin D levels. Vitamin D is a multifaceted molecule able to target critical neuroinflammatory processes underlying neurodegeneration, acting through genomic or rapid signaling. This narrative review aims to focus on vitamin D’s potential to be an optimal neuroprotective molecule, based on its ability to target and counteract aberrant biomolecular processes involved in neuroinflammation/neurodegeneration.
Noticeably, exercise can potentiate vitamin D’s protective effect through some anti-inflammatory actions exerted on shared biomolecular targets. Thus, although vitamin D is not strictly a drug, it could be potentially allocated within the therapeutic approach to neurodegenerative diseases in combination with adapted exercise, best as an early intervention.
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Front Nutr. 2025 Jun 9:12:1500875. Effect of vitamin D supplementation on motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Abstract
Introduction: Lower serum vitamin D levels may associate with higher motor symptom severity in Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study aimed to test the efficacy of supplemental vitamin D on ameliorating motor symptoms in PD, which is the most comprehensive study to assess the relationship between vitamin D supplementation and PD motor symptoms to date.
Methods: An electronic literature search supplemented by hand searching up to Sep 2024 identified 8 randomized controlled trials involving 646 cases of PD. Weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of PD were assessed through pooling the collected data from eligible studies using Stata software.
Results: The results indicated that supplemental vitamin D did not reduce the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale part III score (WMD=-0.56, 95% CI=[-2.34, 1.23]), 10/8 m walk test time (WMD=0.59, 95% CI=[-0.46, 1.64]) and timed up and go (TUG) test time (WMD=-0.57, 95% CI=[-1.45, 0.31]). A statistically significant benefit of supplemental vitamin D was observed on 6-Minute walking test distance (WMD=24.85, 95% CI=[6.54, 43.16]).
Discussion: This meta-analysis suggested that supplemental vitamin D may extend 6-Minute walking test distance, improve partial motor symptoms. Vitamin D supplementation may play an active inhibitory role in the mechanisms of the development of PD.
J Health Popul Nutr. 2025 Jul 3;44(1):235. Outdoor light spending time, genetic predisposition and incident Parkinson’s disease: the mediating effect of lifestyle and vitamin D
Abstract
Background: Previous studies suggest that outdoor sunlight exposure was associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the interaction of genetic predisposition and the potential role of lifestyle risk factors in mediating this association remains unclear from prospective evidence.
Methods: A cohort study based on the UK Biobank enrolled participants between 2006 and 2010, with the latest follow-up in November 2022. In the prospective population-based study 375,599 UK adults aged 37–73 years were enrolled. The outdoor light time was assessed using a questionnaire survey to investigate how many hours were spent outdoors on typical summer and winter days. New-onset PD was identified through linkage with inpatient hospitalization and death registers. Multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models were used. The polygenic risk score (PRS) for PD comprised 44 single-nucleotide variants. The mediation analysis of lifestyle risk factors and vitamin D on this association was performed.
Results: A total of 375,599 participants (mean age, 56.8 years; 46.3% males) were included, and 2,824 individuals were first-ever diagnosed with PD. Compared with the individuals with shorter outdoor light time, those with longer time in summer (HR 0.77; 95% CI, 0.68–0.88), in winter (HR 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75–0.96), and on average (HR 0.83; 95% CI, 0.73–0.93), were prone to have lower PD risk. There was a joint association between outdoor light time and genetic predisposition in PD incidence, and higher genetic risk of PD could be modifiably decreased through longer outdoor light exposure. In mediation analyses, physical activities mainly explained 15.83% on average, while the mediating effects of sleep patterns (2.71%) and vitamin D (4.91%) were relatively mild of the association between outdoor light time and PD, respectively.
Conclusion: In this cohort study, a longer duration of outdoor sunlight exposure was associated with a lower risk of PD, and was more pronounced in individuals with high genetic risk. This association was partly mediated by physical activity, sleep patterns, and vitamin D. These findings highlight the potential of promoting regular outdoor activities as a practical strategy to mitigate PD risk, especially among genetically susceptible individuals.
Robert Rodgers Phd
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery ®
https://www.parkinsonsrecovery.com




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