This research was carried out by Prof Giunti and her team at the London Ataxia Centre at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery using the London arm of the European Friedreich’s Ataxia Consortium of Translational Studies (EFACTS) study. The study investigated the Vitamin D levels in a group of 56 people with FA.
Vitamin D is an important vitamin which helps the body absorb calcium. This is important as it supports us having healthy bones, teeth, and muscles. Vitamin D can be made naturally from exposure to sunlight and is also found in some foods. People in the UK are often at risk of Vitamin D deficiency in Autumn and Winter months due to not enough sun, plus inadequate dietary intake of Vitamin D. It is especially important to ensure that people at risk of falls have sufficient levels of Vitamin D. This is because their bones need to be as healthy as possible to reduce the risk of them breaking a bone if they fall. People with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA) are at risk of falls due to the impact of their condition on their mobility.
The study found that 48% of patients had Vitamin D insufficiency and 29% had Vitamin D deficiency. This group of people with FA had a lower median Vitamin D level than a group of people from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (31.8 nmol vs 41 nmol). This leads the researchers to suggest that people with FA are at a higher risk of Vitamin D deficiency.
Researchers also looked at whether Vitamin D levels were linked to the patients’ level of disability, in terms of mobility, from walking independently to using a wheelchair (measured by the SARA score rating scale for ataxia), and found no correlation.
In light of a significant proportion of people with FA in the study having inadequate Vitamin D levels, the known benefits of Vitamin D, and that people with FA are at higher risk of falling, the study concludes that people with FA should have their Vitamin D levels checked and supplemented if necessary. Vitamin D levels can be measured by a simple blood test that one can request from their neurologist or GP.
To read the research article click here.
