Study Finds Low Levels of Vitamin D is Not a Cause of ALS

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by Wendy Henderson |

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A recent study has found that low levels of vitamin D are linked to loss of movement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, lower levels of the vitamin were not to blame for the progression of symptoms.

Learn more about the molecular changes in ALS in this video.  

In addition, the researchers discovered that the levels of vitamin D in an ALS patient could not be used to predict the course of the disease, and in some cases, taking vitamin D supplements actually sped up the progression of ALS.

The study found that of the 106 patients on the trial, those with lower vitamin D levels at the beginning of the trial had more pronounced movement loss. However, those with the highest levels of the vitamin did not show the slowest progression of the disease after 18 months.  The researchers came to the conclusion that low levels of vitamin D were probably a consequence of  poorer health in ALS rather than the reason for it. Find out more about this study here. 

Cholesterol-related molecule may be linked to ALS progression. Find out more.

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