New York, NY (AHN)-A new study suggests that higher dietary intake of vitamin B6 may decrease the risk of Parkinson's disease.

Dutch researchers find that among more than 5,000 people those who reported taking in the most vitamin B6 were about half as likely as those who consumed the least to develop Parkinson's disease.

Vitamin B6 is essential for metabolism of protein and proper immune and nervous system function, and is found in both meat and vegetables.

To see whether higher intake of folate and vitamins B6 and B12, which can reduce homocysteine levels, would also reduce Parkinson's risk, Dr. Monique M. B. Breteler of Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam and colleagues followed 5,289 men and women aged 55 and older who were free of the disease at the study's outset.

The researchers report in the journal Neurology that during nearly 10 years of follow up, 72 people developed Parkinson's disease. They also found no association between consumption of B12 or folic acid and risk of developing the disease.

However, the more B6 people consumed, the lower their risk.

Those in the highest third of vitamin B6 intake were 54 percent less likely to develop the disease compared to those in the lowest third. A closer look suggested that this relationship was only statistically significant for smokers.

The researchers note that the study doesn't rule out the possibility that B12 and folate could also be protective. But in order to provide a more definitive answer, the researchers suggest that studies must be conducted that look at levels of the nutrients in the blood, which is a more sensitive indicator of their effects.