If you or a loved one/friend has MS, then this page is for you.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

http://www.lef.org/LEFCMS/aspx/PrintVersionMagic.aspx?CmsID=113616


Vitamin D and Multiple Sclerosis: a panacea?

Mainstream medicine has failed to recognize the pivotal role of vitamin D in regulating the overactive immune system in MS patients.

Greater than 30 years have passed since vitamin D was originally hypothesized to be an important environmental determinant of the prevalence of MS (Goldberg 1974; Craelius 1978). During the three decades following the initial linking of vitamin D and MS, evidence has continued to mount. It is now known that MS occurs more frequently in individuals with lower blood levels of vitamin D. A study published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association found that, compared to those with the highest vitamin D blood levels, those with the lowest blood levels were 62% more likely to develop MS.

MS attacks occur less frequently during seasons corresponding with the highest exposure to sunlight; since vitamin D synthesis depends upon exposure of the skin to sunlight, the summer months also bring the highest blood levels of vitamin D (Tremlett 2008). A recent study has quantified the impact of vitamin D blood levels on risk for MS relapse – for each 4 ng/ml increase in 25-hydroxy vitamin D in the blood, the risk for MS relapse is reduced by 12%. The investigators who conducted this study concluded that “Clinically, raising 25-hydroxy vitamin D levels by <20 ng/ml> could halve the hazard of a relapse” (Simpson 2010).

[hedgehog]

1. Wow! first time i've seen a study of Vitamin D in the treatment of MS!

[HysteryDiagnosis]

2. Well if it applies please read the entire paper, it is well put together, and the link in

my sig could have you reading for hours if you were so inclined.

[blindersoff]

3. I have MS...

was just diagnosed at age 60 after living in sunny San Diego for many years. Recently my vitamin D level was slightly low after living in the Pacific NW for 8 years. HOWEVER... vitamin D is not the only culprit that researchers are looking at. There is a huge body of research because it is such a mystery disease and there is really no consensus on the cause (or the diagnosis and treatment in many cases). So I don't believe that vit D is a panacea... just my opinion.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

4. The article is not strictly about vitamin D. Several other items and their potential

benefits are listed in the paper.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 FAs are polyunsaturated FAs which cannot be synthesized in humans and therefore must be provided via dietary sources. Both plant and animal foods are potential sources of omega-3 FAs. For example, linolenic acid, found in flaxseed, flaxseed oil, and preferably, fish and fish oils have very high levels of EPA and DHA.

A small study looking at the effects of Omega-3 FAs on MS found that immune cells from treated patients and healthy controls produced significantly fewer pro-inflammatory cytokines after 3 months of treatment with 6 grams of fish oil per day (Gallai 1995). One double blind placebo controlled study exists to date looking at the effect of Omega-3 FAs on MS disease progression. In this study 312 patients were given either fish oil or olive oil placebo for 2 years. The results of this trial exhibited a trend toward decreased disease severity in the omega-3 FA group when compared with control (Bates 1989).

More recent studies have shown that MS patients given 10g of fish oil per day for 3 months exhibited significantly reduced levels of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), a factor correlated with disease progression, and also had greater concentrations of omega-3 FAs in their red blood cell membranes (Shinto 2009). Other work has shown that MS patients, while on a low fat diet with omega-3 FA supplementation, experienced significantly reduced fatigue and lower relapse rates (Weinstock-Guttman 2005). Based upon clinical data and patient accounts, omega-3 FAs appear to be well tolerated and safe with no reports of adverse events.