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Vitamin D and MS ?

Earlier, today I got a call from my neuro about a blood test I had last week when I went for my 6 month check-up she wanted to check my Vitamin D level. And she said my level was very low so she prescribed Vit D2 50,000 units,I take one softgel once a week for 6 weeks and then one pill once a month until finished,and then in 8 weeks she do another blood test to check the levels. She's also has me taking calcium pills one pill twice a day. It's kinda scary I've been doing research on this and low levels of vit D and the higher risk of breast cancer and now I really don't want to make a appointment for my first mammagram I've been putting it off for a year now. MS is scary enough for me thank you. I'm just wondering if maybe this is partly why I got MS I know there is a connection with low levels of Vit D and MS.See when I was a little kid I was always out in the sun we had a pool and I was as brown as a bear in the summertime but when I got older I just didn't go out in the sun that much because I burn very easy. I would really like to have your guys opinion on the subject. Thanks Kristi.

Vitamin D deficiencies are the latest "trend" in MS. :cool:

In testing for vitamin D deficiencies, there are two methods that labs use for reporting Vitamin D levels:

1. nanograms per milliliter (ng/mL)
(To convert ng/mL to nmol/l: multiply by 2.5, eg. 40 ng/mL *2.5 = 100 nmol/L)
2. nanomoles per liter [nmol/L]
(To convert nmol/l to ng/mL: divide by 2.5, eg. 100 nmol/L /2.5 = 40 ng/mL)

The optimum levels of vitamin D are defined as:

1. LESS THEN 20 ng/mL (50 nmol/L) is generally considered inadequate.

2. Between 20 (ng/mL) – 100 (ng/mL) is “normal”, by most accounts.

Where someone is deemed deficient (< 2o ng/mL), which can occur because of:

- dietary inadequacy, i.e. exposure to sunlight is limited or diet restrictions (milk allergies/lactose intolerance, vegetarianism, etc.)
- impaired absorption, i.e kidneys cannot convert vitamin D to its active form, or absorption of vitamin D from the digestive tract is inadequate

. . . The "normal" recommended FNB daily intake of vitamin D range is from 200 IU (5 mcg) to 600 IU (15 mcg) . . . dependant on age (as provided by the NIH & Food and Nutrition Board).

The best way to source Vitamin D naturally is by getting 5-30 minutes of DIRECT sun exposure between 10 AM and 3 PM, at least twice a week. This exposure can be to (NOTE: EITHER) the face, arms, legs, or back. However, one must realize that:

- complete cloud cover can reduce UV energy by 50%
- shade (including that which is produced by severe pollution) reduces UV energy by 60%
- Sunscreens with a sun protection factor of 8+ may block vitamin D-producing UV rays (but people generally do not apply sufficient amounts, or reapply their sunscreen frequently enough to cover all sun-exposed skin anyway)

People can also source sufficient vitamin D from their diet:

- fortified foods will provide most of the vitamin D people need, ie. U.S. milk is fortified with 100 IU/cup of vitamin D (which is already 25% - 50% of the daily recommended value, depending on age).
- 1 tbsp of cod liver oil = 1360 IU’s per serving (almost 3 X the average daily recommended requirment)
- The flesh of fish (such as salmon, tuna, and mackerel) = 200 – 350 IU’s per serving
- fish liver oils
- beef liver, cheese, and egg yolks (15 – 60 UI).
- some ready-to-eat breakfast contain added vitamin D, as do some brands of orange juice, yogurt, and margarine, ie. cereal flours and related products, milk and products made from milk, and calcium-fortified fruit juices and drinks.
- moderate use of commercial tanning beds (that emit 2-6% UVB radiation)

There have been some “theories” about lack of vitamin D being contributory to the initial development of MS, based on the “gradient latitude” hypothesis, . . . but the prevalence and distribution of MS has changed so significantly over recent years, that theory is becoming more and more obsolete. There is also no proof what-so-ever that increased vitamin D will affect the disease process in any way.

Can you find out what your vitamin D levels are right now?

Cherie

Quote:

Originally Posted by lady_express_44 (Post 304471)

Thanks Cherie for replying to me good information. I will find out soon what my Vitamin D levels are my neuro also sends my test results in the mail so probably this week or next week I should know.

When I went to the MS Expo, the doctor speaking talked about Vitamin D and it's effects on MS. I was born in Mass, so I definitely was in cold weather for most of my life. The theory this man explained was to have your residence closer to the equator BEFORE you're 13. Such as: if you lived in GA for 12 years of your life and then moved to the cold.. you would have the immunity of someone that's "protected" *lol* Unfortunately for me I had 27 yrs of cold Mass. weather and yes it has to do with being in the sun.

There are of course exceptions to this rule.. there was a woman there that moved to a warmer climate before she was 13, but of course she still got MS.

I was getting sick and tired of waiting for dr's to treat my lack of minerals/electrolytes so I started to take Vit. C& E, Magnesium/Zinc/Calcium, B12, Fish Oil, Potassium, etc. to bring all my levels up to normal levels.. I do feel better but taking all these pills - YUCK!

Kristi, I take vitamin D and Calcium daily because of MS. I don't know if it is helping. Make your appointment for your mammo! It is very important!

Special MS Vit D3 needs

For almost ALL MS folks getting MORE than a sufficient amount of Vit D is a VERY VERY good idea.

Taking between 2,000 and 4,000 IUs of Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) will result in VERY favorable changes in blood chemistry. Actual good changes start at 1,000 IUs.

MS folks are "ABNORMAL" i.e. SICK and EXCESS Vit D3 is for them GOOD.

Think "outside normal" when it comes to MS needs. Vit D3 is the best non-Rx version to take. Getting some blood testing done before and after starting a Vit D3 supplementing program is a good idea but not really an absolute necessity. The upper limit for Vit D3 supplementing is 10,000 IUs.

The calcium issue is more complex and varies by gender, age and many other complex things. In my situation I am concerned about excess calcification in soft tissues.

I will post some abstracts/articles to explain some of my comments.

jackD

The benefit in reducing MMP-9s is enormous. They make the hole in the BBB Blood Brain Barrier and cut up myelin. I discussed this in my recent Avonex posting.

They do not mentuion MS in this abstract probably because it was done in 2002 and the MS MMP-9 connection was not published in detail until 2001.

jackD

Quote:

1: QJM 2002 Dec;95(12):787-796

Circulating MMP9, vitamin D and variation in the TIMP-1 response with VDR
genotype: mechanisms for inflammatory damage in chronic disorders?

Timms PM, Mannan N, Hitman GA, Noonan K, Mills PG, Syndercombe-Court D, Aganna
E, Price CP, Boucher(2) BJ.

Departments of. Clinical Biochemistry, Diabetes and Metabolic Medicine and.
Haematology, Barts and The London, Queen Mary's School of Medicine and
Dentistry, University of London and. Department of Cardiology, 'Barts and The
London' NHS Trust, London, UK.

BACKGROUND:Vitamin-D deficiency and vitamin-D receptor genotype (VDR) are risk
factors for several disorders with inflammatory components, including coronary
heart disease (CHD) and diabetes, though the mechanisms involved are unclear.
Aim: To examine the hypothesis that vitamin D status modulates the matrix
metalloproteinase (MMP) system in a population with a high prevalence of vitamin
D deficiency, a situation affecting susceptibility to CHD and diabetes.

DESIGN:
Prospective cross-sectional, interventional and embedded studies.

METHODS:
Circulating MMP2,9, the inhibitor TIMP-1 and C-reactive protein (CRP) were
measured during studies of vitamin-D deficiency as a risk factor for type 2
diabetes and CHD in 171 healthy British Bangladeshi adults, free of known
diabetes or major illness. Vitamin D status, VDR genotype, body-build, blood
pressure, lipid and insulin profiles, glucose tolerance, fibrinogen, PAI-1,
folate and homocysteine were measured. Vitamin-D-deficient subjects were
re-assessed after 1 years' supplementation. MMP, TIMP-1 and CRP levels were
measured in 41 subjects halfway through 5-year follow-up. Independent
determinants of circulating concentrations of MMP9, TIMP-1 and CRP were assessed
by multiple regression analysis.

:wink:RESULTS: Vitamin D status was the sole
determinant of circulating MMP9 (inversely) and an independent determinant of
CRP (inversely). Determinants of TIMP-1 were MMP9, systolic blood-pressure
(directly) and VDR genotype (TaqI). :)Significant reductions in MMP9 (-68%),
TIMP-1 (-38%) and CRP (-23%) concentrations followed vitamin-D supplementation.

DISCUSSION: Vitamin-D insufficiency is associated with increased circulating
MMP2,9 and CRP, correctable by supplementation. This finding provides a possible
mechanism for tissue damage in chronic inflammatory conditions, including and diabetes.

PMID: 12454321 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

1000 IU Vit D3 positive effects for MSers

Here is one study done at Penn Stata Univ funded by the National Multiple Sclerosis Foundation which back in 2001 showed how Vit D3 supplements can help blood chemistry. This is from their public press release at that time.

jackD

Quote:

Study points to positive results from vitamin D supplements for MS sufferers
University Park, Pa. --- A small study conducted by researchers at Penn State
and Helen Hayes Hospital in New York has shown that:) a daily dose of vitamin D –
1000 IU or two and a half times the recommended dose for adults -- causes
changes in blood chemistry that indicate positive effects for multiple sclerosis
patients.:)

Dr. Margherita Cantorna, assistant professor of nutrition, says the study has
not been in progress long enough to observe changes in the clinical symptoms of
the disease in the patients who participated. However, blood samples drawn after
just 6 months of Vitamin D supplementation, show an increase in transforming
growth factor beta-1 (TGF-Beta) which is associated with the remission and
suppression of the immune response which produces symptoms in MS patients. In
addition, the researchers found a decrease in interleuken-2 which is associated
with the cells that induce MS.

Cantorna's student, Brett Mahon, a doctoral candidate in nutrition, detailed the
study results today (April 3) at the Experimental Biology 2001 conference in
Orlando, Fla. The paper, "Altered Cytokine Profile in Patients with Multiple
Sclerosis Following Vitamin D Supplementation," is co-authored by Dr. Felicia
Cosman, medical director, Clinical Research Center, S. A. Gordon and J. Cruz,
all of Helen Hayes Hospital, and Cantorna. Mahon is first author.

As a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Cantorna and
others had shown, in experiments with mice, that vitamin D supplementation could
completely prevent the development of MS in susceptible animals. After Cantorna
joined the faculty at Penn State, she learned of Dr. Cosman's research program
which centers on investigating whether a low level vitamin D deficiency in MS
patients might account for the incidence of brittle bones.

Cantorna asked Cosman for blood samples from the participating patients to see
if the same changes she had observed in mice also occur in humans who receive
vitamin D supplementation. She found that the results were, in fact, similar at
the blood chemistry level. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which
the victim's own immune system attacks the spinal cord and brain. The disease
afflicts about 350,000 people in the United States alone and its cause is
thought to be a complex interaction of genetics and environmental forces that
are not completely understood.

Cantorna and others hypothesize that one crucial environmental factor involved
in the development of the disease is the amount of sunlight a person receives.
Exposure to sunlight catalyzes the production of vitamin D in the skin. In low
sunlight, the skin produces significantly less vitamin D.

In support of a connection among sunlight, vitamin D and multiple sclerosis,
Cantorna points out that the incidence of the disease is nearly zero near the
equator and increases with latitude in both hemispheres. In addition,
Switzerland has high MS rates at low altitudes and low MS rates at high
altitudes. Ultraviolet light is more intense at higher altitudes, resulting in
the skin manufacturing more vitamin D.

Other evidence of an MS/vitamin D link comes from Norway where MS rates are
higher inland than on the coast where larger quantities of fish are consumed
which are rich in vitamin D.

While Cantorna's research and MS's geographical distribution suggest a
connection between vitamin D and MS, she cautions that the vitamin's exact role
is still unclear.

"I think that if you are an MS patient, it would be best to continue to follow
your personal physician's advice," says the College of Health and Human
Development faculty member. Since vitamin D can be toxic in high doses, it would
not be a good idea to begin taking vitamin D pills available over-the-counter in
large amounts.

"On the other hand, since adequate amounts of vitamin D are difficult to get
from diet and because MS patients often have to stay out of the sun, you might
want to consider taking a vitamin D supplement at the current recommended daily
requirement level. There are potential benefits for bone health and for the
immune system as well."

The project was supported by two grants from the National Multiple Sclerosis
Foundation -- one to Cantorna and the other to Cosman.

Thank you for these studies. It is not easy to find nutrition research that relates to MS.

It is predicted that the minimum requirement for Vitamin D will be increased in 2010, when the decade cycle on nutrition updates is scheduled.

Anytime a nutritional requirement is changed it affects food programs, such as food stamps, WIC, and school lunches to name a few. They try not to change them too frequently.

There was a news story on vitamin D and MS on the news tonight. It dealt with a study that examined twins and preventing MS. You can read it on their web site. Just click on the health search engine.