Vitamin Deficiency Linked to Multiple Sclerosis?!
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease in which the body mistakenly attacks itself.
In this case, it affects the brain and spinal cord, leading to symptoms like tingling, mood changes, numbness, pain, fatigue, blindness, and more.
MS is a bit of a mystery. Scientists don’t know exactly what causes the disease—or why some get it and others don’t.
But they have identified that the people LESS likely to get it all have ONE thing in common:
A review published in Neurology & Therapy found that folks who get MORE vitamin D and have higher blood levels of the vitamin were LESS likely to develop multiple sclerosis.
Women, in particular, who got about 700 IU of vitamin D daily had a 33 percent lower risk than those who took in less.
Another study showed that people with vitamin D levels over 40 ng/ml were 62 percent LESS likely to develop MS.
But on the flip side, a separate study of MS patients showed that a stunning 90 percent of people with the disease are deficient in vitamin D.
So that’s good news AND bad news.
Here’s the bad part. More than 93 percent of people in the U.S. consume less than 400 IU of vitamin D daily. Yet you’d need closer to 5,000 IU to maintain OPTIMAL vitamin D status.
The good news is you can get ALL the vitamin D you need by spending 10 to 30 minutes in the midday sun two to three times per week.
Of course, this will be significantly affected by where you live and the time of year.
If you can’t get enough sun exposure, consider taking a supplement. Then, be sure to have your blood levels tested regularly to ensure you’re getting enough.
I like to aim for blood levels of 60 ng/ml or higher.
Topping up your D levels can reduce your risk of multiple sclerosis … and practically every OTHER condition you can think of, too.
P.S. If you’re NOT having your vitamin D blood levels tested regularly, the next best thing is to tune in to the most common warning signs for a deficiency. CLICK HERE to discover the TOP 4 red flags for low vitamin D.
SOURCES:
“Vitamin D and Multiple Sclerosis: A Comprehensive Review.” Neurol Ther. 2018 Jun;7(1):59-85. doi: 10.1007/s40120-017-0086-4. Epub 2017 Dec 14. PMID: 29243029; PMCID: PMC5990512.
“Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and risk of multiple sclerosis.” JAMA. 2006 Dec 20;296(23):2832-8. doi: 10.1001/jama.296.23.2832. PMID: 17179460.
