October 15, '09: Vitamin "D" and Multiple Sclerosis
Category: Alternative Therapies
Posted by: stuart
Source: Rocky Mountain MS Center - eMS News - October 15, 2009
"You need to get your vitamins…" is a phrase we all likely heard as children, perhaps when we didn’t want to eat the heaping pile of vegetables that had been so generously served to us. Annoying as it may have seemed at the time, certain vitamins may in fact be more important than we previously understood. As MS research continues to expand and move forward, there is growing support that one vitamin in particular, D, plays an important role in the development and progression of MS.
Vitamin D, the main sources of which are exposure to sunlight, milk, cheese, and fish, as well as some juices and cereals, is a fat soluble vitamin. It is biologically inert, which means that upon entering the body, it must be processed in order to become activated. This occurs either in the liver or the kidney. Another important aspect of vitamin D is that it works collaboratively with calcium, and is critical for bone growth and health.
The role of vitamin D in MS has been studied for some time. In 2006, a study was undertaken by the Harvard School of Public Health. During the course of the study, investigators looked at 257 blood serum samples, which were among the more than 7 million samples—all from U.S. military personnel—that are stored in the Department of Defense Serum Repository.
By comparing the blood samples with corresponding Army and Navy medical and disability records, investigators found that among Caucasian people—but not African-Americans—there was a much lower risk of MS in those with high levels of vitamin D, and a much higher risk of MS in those with low levels of vitamin D. This study has been quite significant in propelling the assertion that people with high levels of vitamin D are at lower risk for developing the disease.
Other studies have continued to look into vitamin D and MS, including a 2009 study that involved 49 people, most with relapsing-remitting MS. During the course of the study, 25 participants were given an average of 14,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day, and the other 24 received an average of 1,000 IU a day, which is the daily dose recommended by most MS-specialty neurologists. All participants also received a 1,200 IU daily calcium dose.
Of the 25 participants on the higher vitamin D dose, 16% experienced relapses during the study period, compared to nearly 40% of those on the lower dose of vitamin D. Additionally, those on the high-dose vitamin D experienced 41% fewer relapses than the year before, compared to 17% of those on the 1,000 IU daily dose. Study investigators were also pleased to find that participants on the higher vitamin D dose did not experience any significant side effects. However, this is a small study and the results need to be replicated in further studies.
Investigators continue to look into the exact molecular reasoning behind the connection between vitamin D and MS. One recent study found that vitamin D triggers activity in a certain immune system gene, which is located on chromosome 6. Investigators now think that low levels of vitamin D may result in improper activation of the gene, which possibly causes the body to attack itself.
==========================================================
To receive the "Stu's Views & M.S. News" weekly Multiple Sclerosis e-newsletter, please register at: http://www.msviewsandnews.org
.........................................................................................
"You need to get your vitamins…" is a phrase we all likely heard as children, perhaps when we didn’t want to eat the heaping pile of vegetables that had been so generously served to us. Annoying as it may have seemed at the time, certain vitamins may in fact be more important than we previously understood. As MS research continues to expand and move forward, there is growing support that one vitamin in particular, D, plays an important role in the development and progression of MS.
Vitamin D, the main sources of which are exposure to sunlight, milk, cheese, and fish, as well as some juices and cereals, is a fat soluble vitamin. It is biologically inert, which means that upon entering the body, it must be processed in order to become activated. This occurs either in the liver or the kidney. Another important aspect of vitamin D is that it works collaboratively with calcium, and is critical for bone growth and health.
The role of vitamin D in MS has been studied for some time. In 2006, a study was undertaken by the Harvard School of Public Health. During the course of the study, investigators looked at 257 blood serum samples, which were among the more than 7 million samples—all from U.S. military personnel—that are stored in the Department of Defense Serum Repository.
By comparing the blood samples with corresponding Army and Navy medical and disability records, investigators found that among Caucasian people—but not African-Americans—there was a much lower risk of MS in those with high levels of vitamin D, and a much higher risk of MS in those with low levels of vitamin D. This study has been quite significant in propelling the assertion that people with high levels of vitamin D are at lower risk for developing the disease.
Other studies have continued to look into vitamin D and MS, including a 2009 study that involved 49 people, most with relapsing-remitting MS. During the course of the study, 25 participants were given an average of 14,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D a day, and the other 24 received an average of 1,000 IU a day, which is the daily dose recommended by most MS-specialty neurologists. All participants also received a 1,200 IU daily calcium dose.
Of the 25 participants on the higher vitamin D dose, 16% experienced relapses during the study period, compared to nearly 40% of those on the lower dose of vitamin D. Additionally, those on the high-dose vitamin D experienced 41% fewer relapses than the year before, compared to 17% of those on the 1,000 IU daily dose. Study investigators were also pleased to find that participants on the higher vitamin D dose did not experience any significant side effects. However, this is a small study and the results need to be replicated in further studies.
Investigators continue to look into the exact molecular reasoning behind the connection between vitamin D and MS. One recent study found that vitamin D triggers activity in a certain immune system gene, which is located on chromosome 6. Investigators now think that low levels of vitamin D may result in improper activation of the gene, which possibly causes the body to attack itself.
==========================================================
To receive the "Stu's Views & M.S. News" weekly Multiple Sclerosis e-newsletter, please register at: http://www.msviewsandnews.org
.........................................................................................
