Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Why Should People with MS Care About Vitamin D?



Jimscornershop.com

Why Should People with MS Care About Vitamin D?

The majority of people with MS have some degree of vitamin D deficiency.
People who live in northern regions commonly have a vitamin D deficiency for 4 to 6 months of the year.
Interestingly, relapses tend to happen more in the spring when vitamin D levels reach their lowest,
as stores have been depleted.


What Is Vitamin D in MS for?


Osteoporosis:

Vitamin D deficiency leads to osteoporosis,
which is also very common in people with MS.
In a study of women with MS,
the average bone density and vitamin D levels were much lower than a control group without MS.
Forty percent of study participants reported that they got very little to no exposure to sunlight.


Help for the Immune System:
Animal studies (using EAE, the experimental animal form of MS) show that vitamin D deficiency worsened severity of symptoms and supplementation helped reduce symptoms.


MS Prevention?
I imagine for most people reading this,
MS is already a done deal
– a diagnosis has been made and it is too late for prevention.
However, it is interesting that in the Nurses’ Health Study,
women who took vitamin D supplements had a 40% lower risk of MS.
It has also been well-documented that MS is geographically distributed in such a way as to indicate that people without adequate vitamin D exposures from the sun are at higher risk for developing MS.


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How Does Vitamin D Work?


Vitamin D helps with calcium absorption and works to prevent osteoporosis.
Vitamin D also increases lymphocytes
and reduces proinflammatory cytokines,
meaning it works to reduce inflammation and possibly autoimmune activity.


How Effective Is It?

Although it has been suggested by epidemiological studies that vitamin D deficiencies increase the risk of developing MS,
there is really no strong evidence to indicate that supplementing with vitamin D in people that already have MS will have much of a benefit in terms of disease progression.
One very small study (11 people) showed a reduction in relapse rate
in participants taking a combination of magnesium,
calcium and fish oil with high levels of vitamin D.

Another small study failed to show any effect of vitamin D supplementation.
There are currently some long-term trials in progress to look at the role of vitamin D in MS.


What is the Usual Dosage of Vitamin D/How Is It Taken?


Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin.
It is naturally present in very few foods,
which include:

Eggs (naturally found in yolks)
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Liver
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Fatty fish,
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such as sardines,
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salmon,
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tuna,
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mackerel
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It is added as a fortification to other foods, such as:

Some ready-to-eat cereals

Milk and other dairy products

Other “fortified” products,
such as orange juice,
soy milk,
rice milk,
bread and flour


As a supplement, vitamin D should be taken in combination with calcium supplements,
as calcium is not useful for bone health without vitamin D.
200 to 600 IU of vitamin D should be taken in combination with 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams of calcium daily.
In addition, people should strive to get 10 to 15 minutes of sun exposure each day.


If you have any questions feel FREE to contact me. Please fill out the form below:


First Name.
Last Name
E-Mail
Comment:

James Eckburg,


114 E. Franklin St.,Lanark Illinois,61046,


815-493-6475,


joeckburg@gmail.com ,


skype:jamesoeck22368













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