The vitamin D/MS (Multiple Sclerosis) link has intrigued medical science for some time, and an increasing body of research indicates the association between the disease and deficiency of the vitamin is unmistakable. But is there evidence that boosting vitamin levels could be a viable treatment?
The answer to that question is exactly what ongoing research projects are seeking. Studies done all over the world over the past decade have firmly established that incidence of MS, a debilitating neurodegenerative disease that affects more than 350,000 people in the US, is definitely associated with deficiency of the vitamin.
Vitamin D/MS Link Firmly Established By Decades of Research
Most MS patients have low blood levels of the vitamin, and analysis of The Nurses Study, a massive study of more than 90,000 US women over several years, showed that women with low levels of the vitamin were about 50% more likely to develop the disease.
Geographically-based research has demonstrated that MS is more prevalent in areas geographically farthest from the equator, where people have less exposure to the sun to trigger the body to manufacture vitamin D. Incidence of the disease is below average in tropical areas which provide maximum opportunity for sun exposure.
Animal, Genetic Studies Show Treatment Potential
But though the link between the two has been firmly established, research is still investigating whether supplemental amounts of the vitamin can actually be an effective treatment for MS. Animal studies by the University of Wisconsin showed encouraging results; mice who had been given supplements of the vitamin showed no disability whatsoever after experimental encephalomyelitis, a disease similar to MS which is typically used in animal studies, was induced.
The same study also showed that giving supplements of the vitamin to mice that already had the disease both halted the progress of the disease and limited its severity.
Most recently, a Canadian study has discovered a direct interaction between D vitamin and a genetic variant known to increase the risk of MS. The study results suggest that deficiency of the vitamin effects this variant, which in turn alters the body’s immune processes and may trigger the development of brain and spinal cord problems typical of MS.
Clinical Trials Underway
Ongoing clinical trials of oral supplementation in MS patients are already in phase II and the results are expected to provide insight on how well supplementation works as treatment and how much supplementation is required. But many medical experts agree that until these factors and the long-term effects of supplementation are better understood, the best option for MS patients is to confer with their health care providers about their levels of the vitamin.
A blood test can show whether there are sufficient levels of the vitamin in the blood. In cases where levels are deficient, the patient and care provider can work together to determine a supplementation strategy.
