Epilepsy and Vitamin D deficiency

Almost half of the people with epilepsy disease also have a vitamin D deficiency. Despite these well-known fact only one study is reported in the last 40 years have been published that dealt with the relationship of vitamin D deficiency and the frequency of seizures.

This study found that the treatment of epileptic patients with vitamin D2 – a far inferior type of synthetic vitamin D – the number of seizures reduced and in 1974, the researchers concluded that “the results could support the concept that epileptics should be treated prophylactically with vitamin D “. Now, nearly four decades later, the researchers show once again that “the normalization of serum vitamin 25 (OH) D [vitamin D] -shows an anticonvulsant [anti-seizure] -effect.”

The improvement of the Vitamin D levels reduces the seizure frequency in epileptic 40%.

In the study, the researchers describe that a single dose of 40,000 to 200,000 IU of vitamin D3, administered in patients with epilepsy, was sufficient in order to get their vitamin D levels from a deficiency state. The participants, whose ages ranged 10-42 years, showed vitamin D levels in the range of 4 ng/ml to 34 ng/ml, with a mean of 11.8 to. This is an absolutely dangerously low levels. After treatment with a dose of Vitamin D the respective Family was able to improve its levels of vitamin D to a range of 23-45 ng/ml, with a mean of 38 ng/ml. It is important to note that this value according to the latest state of scientific knowledge is too small still, but still an improvement shows in terms of a decrease in seizure frequency.

After increasing the vitamin D levels show the following results:

• 10 to 13 subjects showed a decrease in seizure frequency
• In all there were on average a reduction in seizures of 40%
• A reduction of seizure frequency by more than 50% of patients experiencing at five.

However, the most revealing results appear in individuals whose vitamin D levels were at the start with 4 ng/ml dangerously low.These persons have 450 attacks over a period of three months; by increasing the vitamin D level to 43.1 ng / ml, the figure dropped to 30 seizures in three months! The study has some limitations, namely a small number of subjects and the lack of a placebo group for comparison, although the importance of correcting the vitamin D levels was D deficiency highlighted in a vitamin in patients with epilepsy.

Epilepsy patients have an increased risk of developing vitamin D deficiency.

These findings are even more important when we are informed that people with epilepsy have an even greater risk, on a one to suffer vitamin D deficiency than the general population (and also the general “healthy” population often shows a great vitamin D deficiency). The reasons for this can be found in the fact that people are limited with frequent epileptic seizures in their ability to move actively in the open, what would normally have a positive effect on their vitamin D levels.

If you need to spend most of their time inside buildings, you are a regular sunlight miss, which is the key for the natural production of Vitamin D.

The sunlight incident through a window pane to the skin is not able to compensate for this deficiency. Through the glass prevents the UVB rays with specific wavelengths that produce vitamin D can penetrate into the skin.

Vitamin D and Anti-Epileptics.

Antiepileptic drugs that are given to epilepsy patients often can interfere with vitamin D metabolism, which leads to a lack. If you need to take this type of medication, it is particularly important that you actively monitor your vitamin D levels in order to prevent the side effects of these drugs.

Why might Vitamin D have a significant impact on seizures?

Epilepsy is a disorder of the central nervous system, especially the brain. Vitamin D is not “just” a vitamin, it is actually a neuroregulatory steroid hormone that affects almost 3,000 different genes in your body. Vitamin D receptors are found in the brain, spinal cord and the central nervous system, and these, if present in a sufficiently large amount, your body protect against diseases.

Vitamin D3 versus Vitamin D2.

Supplementation with synthetic vitamin D2 compared to natural vitamin D3.

A meta-analysis of 50 clinical studies with regard to the mortality rate showed:

• A 6% risk reduction in those subjects who used D3
• A 2% risk reduction in those subjects who used D2
• Vitamin D3 is involved with a share of around 87% in the procurement and maintenance of vitamin D levels
• Vitamin D3 has compared to vitamin D2, a 2- to 3-fold greater storage of vitamin D
• Vitamin D3 is also faster to 500% converted to its active form.

So is true for you, get in any case the administration of vitamin D3, if you want to raise your vitamin D levels, but not D2. Even better, just go outside in the sun or use a safe tanning beds. There are enough reasons to believe that the Vitamin D from sunlight produced, has additional health benefits. In addition, while there is no risk of overdose.
Whenever your vitamin D levels is regulated by sunlight, your body shows the ability to regulate itself and takes only what he really needs. Still, you have to be careful and not expose too much of the sun, because the risk of sunburn may consist. An alternative to the sun exposure is a safe tanning (a tanning bed with electronic and non-magnetic ballasts, to avoid unnecessary exposure to EMF fields).

Secure solariums let through less of the harmful UV rays than natural sunlight. If none of these mentioned options are possible for you, then you should take vitamin D3 orally.

This is certainly better to get for your health than no Vitamin D at all. To ensure that there are your values within the therapeutic range, you should have regular blood tests and can determine your vitamin D levels. If you have epilepsy, it is possible that this could help you to reduce the attacks and to reduce the need medication to reduce seizures.