Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of vitamin D supplementation in Parkinson disease.

Study answer

What this study found

Vitamin D3 generally favored slower Parkinson disease progression, with benefit most apparent in patients with VDR FokI TT or CT genotypes. Hoehn and Yahr stage changed less in the vitamin D3 group than in placebo (+0.02 ± 0.62 vs +0.33 ± 0.70; P = 0.005), and more vitamin D3 participants had no worsening or improvement in HY stage (29.1% vs 12.3%; RR 2.37, 95% CI 1.06-5.31; P = 0.028). UPDRS total did not differ significantly (P = 0.11), but UPDRS part II and several PDQ-39 domains favored vitamin D3, including no worsening or improvement in UPDRS part II (47.3% vs 28.1%; RR 1.68, 95% CI…

Study & population

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in adults with Parkinson disease aged 45-85 years at Katsushika Medical Center in Tokyo, Japan.

Intervention

Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) was given orally as a tablet at 1200 IU/day for 12 months.

Key limitation

The trial was relatively small, and the genotype-specific conclusion limits generalizability.

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Original abstract