Vitamin D Lowers Risk of Multiple Sclerosis

A study has found that women who take vitamin D supplements through multivitamins are 40% less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) than those who do not take supplements. These findings were reported in the January 13, 2004, issue of Neurology.

The researchers examined data from two large studies involving almost 188,000 women. Those with MS symptoms were not included, but 173 women developed the disease during the course of the study. The women were divided into two groups based on vitamin D use. Those with an intake of 400 IU (international units) or more per day were 40% less likely to develop MS than those who used no supplements. The risk was also lower for those women with high intake from both supplements and food. However, those women whose intake of vitamin D was from food only did not have any lesser risk of MS.

"Because the number of cases of MS increases the farther you get from the equator, one hypothesis has been that sunlight exposure and high levels of vitamin D may reduce the risk of MS,” said study author Kassandra Munger, MSc, of Harvard School of Public Health (Boston, MA, USA; www.hsph.harvard.edu). "These results need to be confirmed with additional research, but it's exciting to think that something as simple as taking a multivitamin could reduce your risk of developing MS.




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Harvard School of Public Health