Vitamin D slows the progression of multiple sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis: Slower Progression Thanks to Vitamin D
Vitamin D may reduce the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and slow the progression of nervous system damage. It appears that, in the early stages of the disease, patients with adequate serum vitamin D levels may develop up to 57% fewer brain lesions compared to those with lower levels.
This was discovered by researchers from the Department of Epidemiology and Nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston (USA). The study, published in the journal JAMA Neurology, investigated the relationship between Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis in patients showing early symptoms of the disease.
Vitamin D Deficiency and Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic degenerative disease that affects nerve fibers. In affected individuals, damage occurs to the myelin sheath, which is mostly made of lipids and surrounds the axons of neurons, protecting the nerves and speeding up nerve impulse transmission.
Multiple sclerosis appears to be an autoimmune disease, meaning it is caused by the immune system attacking the body's own components, mistakenly recognized as foreign. The disease manifests with muscle control problems, balance issues, and vision disturbances, and it also impairs memory and thinking.
Epidemiological studies have shown that the incidence of the disease is very low in sunny countries with high vitamin D consumption. Several studies have confirmed a link between low Vitamin D levels and the onset of multiple sclerosis.
Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, is found in many foods and can be synthesized in the human body from a precursor upon exposure to sunlight. Vitamin D plays an important role in bone growth and development, as well as in immune system function.
High Levels of 25-Hydroxycalciferol Reduce Disease Symptoms
The study involved 465 patients with multiple sclerosis participating in a trial comparing early versus late treatment with interferon beta-1b, a commonly used drug for the disease. Each patient’s serum vitamin D level, measured as its metabolite 25(OH)D (25-hydroxycalciferol), was recorded before the study began and then after 6, 12, and 24 months of treatment.
The progression of the disease was monitored, including relapses and disabilities. Researchers found that patients with early-stage multiple sclerosis and adequate vitamin D levels showed a 57% lower rate of new brain lesions and a 57% lower relapse rate compared to those with low vitamin D levels.
Higher concentrations were associated with an annual reduction of 0.41% in brain volume loss, an important disability indicator, and a decrease in brain lesion volume.
Additive Effect Alongside Interferon
The researchers concluded that blood vitamin D levels correlate with disease progression and symptoms. In particular, the benefits of vitamin D appear additive to those of interferon beta-1b, providing strong protective effects on the processes underlying multiple sclerosis.
These results highlight the importance of correcting vitamin D deficiency, which is widespread in Europe and the United States.
Source: Ascherio A, Munger KL, White R. et al. “Vitamin D as an Early Predictor of Multiple Sclerosis Activity and Progression.” JAMA Neurol. 2014 Jan 20. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2013.5993
