High-dose vitamin D supplements appear to aggravate inflammation and myelin loss in the brain and spinal cord, and worsen the disability associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in a mouse disease model reported. Excessive use of vitamin D causes calcium levels to…

A risk of multiple sclerosis rises in people with specific variations in a protein, called the vitamin D receptor, that affects how this vitamin works and is metabolized in the body, a study drawn from a meta-analysis reports. Its researchers suggest these variations, or changes…

Exposure to UV-B light prevented multiple sclerosis (MS)-like symptoms in a mouse model regardless of the presence of vitamin D or the vitamin D receptor, a new study discovered.  The study, “UV light suppression of EAE (a mouse…

Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) use vitamin D supplements. I’ve been popping a 2,000 IU tablet of vitamin D3 each morning for many years. And with good reason. Studies show that having an adequate blood level of vitamin D may lower a person’s risk of developing MS. Research…

Editor’s note: This is the third story in a three-part report examining the question “Should vitamin D supplements be recommended for MS patients?”, which was a topic discussed at this year’s Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Here, we take an in-depth…

Editor’s note: This is the second story in a three-part report examining experts’ answers to the question “Should vitamin D supplements be recommended for MS patients?”, which was a topic discussed at this year’s Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Here, we take an in-depth…

Editor’s note: This is the first story in a three-part report examining the question “Should vitamin D supplements be recommended for MS patients?”, which was a topic discussed at this year’s Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS). Here, we provide a synopsis…

Ofatumumab Better at Easing Relapse Rates and Slowing MS Progression Than Aubagio, Phase 3 Data Show Ofatumumab isn’t approved as a multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment. It’s a cancer medication that’s marketed as Arzerra. But in two clinical trials reported here, it did better than Aubagio at treating MS. Its…

Higher levels of vitamin D in the blood may help to protect the myelin sheath, slowing damage to nerve cells in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a brain imaging study reports. The study, “Vitamin D and MRI measures in progressive multiple sclerosis,” was published in the…

A study found no genetic risk factors associated with vitamin D in families with a history of multiple sclerosis (MS), suggesting that the link between vitamin D deficiency and MS risk is determined by environmental factors rather than a genetic predisposition. The study “Exonic variants of genes related…

An active form of vitamin D can modulate the activity of immune cells and prevent autoimmune reactions known to be involved in several human diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). A study with that finding, led by researchers from The University of Edinburgh in Scotland, reveals a new layer…

MS Misdiagnosis Too Common, Puts Patients in Unnecessary Peril from Therapies, Study Reveals Many people who have multiple sclerosis (MS) report that it’s taken doctors years to come up with their diagnoses. So, it’s interesting to read a story about the opposite: those whose MS diagnoses were…

Rituximab-treated multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who take vitamin D supplements have less inflammatory activity, a study reports. Increased levels of vitamin D were associated with beneficial treatment outcomes, such as better self-perceived health and reduced levels of the inflammation marker C-reactive protein…

To grasp the connection between vitamin D and multiple sclerosis (MS), it is first important to understand this vitamin’s power. It is one of the “superhero” vitamins needed to help keep our bodies functioning properly. According to the Cleveland Clinic, vitamin D is essential for us to absorb the…

High vitamin D levels predict better cognitive function, while smoking is associated with worse long-term cognitive disability in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), a study suggests. Data from the study was presented by Marianna Cortese, MD, PhD, from the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan…

Smoking and low levels of vitamin D can worsen prognosis for people with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), researchers who developed a model for predicting long-term disability progression report. Their study, “Predicting the course of CIS patients adding…

Being overweight is associated with accelerated grey matter volume loss in the brain, a mark of neurodegeneration, in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a five-year observational study shows. But vitamin D levels, often suggested as an MS risk factor, do not seem to affect brain volume over time.

Vitamin D may increase the therapeutic benefits of glucocorticosteroids (GCs) for multiple sclerosis (MS) through a protein complex called mTORc1, according to a study in a mouse model and in cells from MS patients. The study, “Vitamin D augments glucocorticosteroid efficacy via inhibition of mTORc1,” was presented…

Vitamin D3 insufficiency increases multiple sclerosis (MS) susceptibility in a gene and sex-dependent manner, a mouse study suggests. The study with that finding, “Sex-Specific Gene-by-Vitamin D Interactions Regulate Susceptibility to Central Nervous System Autoimmunity,” by researchers at the University of Vermont, was published in the journal Frontiers in…

The idea that a vitamin D deficiency contributes to the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) has been challenged in a recent study that examined subtle differences in a protein involved in vitamin D metabolism in people from different ethnic backgrounds. The study, “Vitamin D-Binding Protein…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) who quit smoking have better health outcomes than those who continue. Therefore, MS-related costs can be reduced by encouraging smokers to quit. Similar results were observed in MS patients with healthy vitamin D levels, Maura Pugliatti, from the University of Ferrara, in Italy, said Friday in a presentation at the…

A strong immune reaction to an Epstein-Barr virus infection and low levels of vitamin D appear to increase the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) independent of each other, said researchers in a presentation at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS Meeting in Paris, France. Previous studies have shown that serum antibody titers…

Women with low levels of vitamin D in their blood are more likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life, finds a large-scale study on women in Finland. The study, “25-Hydroxyvitamin D deficiency and risk of MS among women in the Finnish Maternity Cohort,” appeared in the journal…

A new study reports that vitamin D supplements do not prevent bone loss in multiple sclerosis patients who are not vitamin-D-deficient. Previous research has suggested that low levels of vitamin D increase the risk of a person developing MS. In addition, Vitamin D prevents loss of bone density. That loss can lead to fractures and osteoporosis, a condition that many MS patients experience as their disease progresses. Researchers decided to investigate the effect of weekly doses of vitamin D3 on patients with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, versus patients receiving a placebo. All 68 participants in the Phase 4 clinical trial also received 500 mg a day of calcium, a compound that is also important for bone health. The team measured the effectiveness of the supplemental vitamin D by analyzing biomarkers of bone health in blood. These included levels of the proteins PINP, or procollagen type I N propeptide, and CTX1, or C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide. At the start of the study, levels of PINP and CTX1 were not significantly different between the two groups. And that continued to be true at week 48 and week 96 of the study. The bottom line was that vitamin D supplementation did not change bone health in patients with MS after 96 weeks. “Our results do not support that high dose weekly vitamin D supplementation is beneficial for bone health in ambulatory persons with MS, and suggest that weekly vitamin D supplementation alone is not sufficient to prevent bone loss in persons with MS who are not vitamin D deficient,” the researchers concluded. The results were different from previous studies supporting the beneficial effects of vitamin D supplementation in MS patients. The researchers said they believed the discrepancy was due to differences in the studies' patient characteristics, sample size, and duration of follow-up.

A study of nearly 600 children with multiple sclerosis reported that genes linked to low vitamin D levels and obesity contribute to the risk of developing MS in childhood. While the two are also risk factors for adult-onset MS, obesity and low vitamin D have a larger risk impact on children than adults. The…

In a U.S. nationwide case study, a team of researchers found evidence for a potential link between viral infections during childhood, vitamin D deficiency, and the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). The study, “Environmental risk factors associated with pediatric MS: The role of remote viral infections and vitamin D revisited,” was recently…

Evidence supporting the use of Vitamin D for people with multiple sclerosis continues to grow but there remains many unanswered questions as well.  Ellen Mowry, MD, Associate Professor of Neurology and Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins MS Center, presented Vitamin D supplementation as disease modifying therapy, to participants at…

Here’s my Pick of the Week’s News, as published by Multiple Sclerosis News Today. Imbalances in Brain Microbiota May Be Behind Demyelination in MS, Study Says Good to see that new research involving humans (NOT mice this time) may lead to better understanding of MS. Alterations…

The risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life may be higher for babies born with low levels of vitamin D, according to a new study in the journal Neurology. The study, “Neonatal Vitamin D Status And Risk Of Multiple Sclerosis – A Population-Based Case-Control Study,” was…

A few weeks ago, I visited my general practitioner for a yearly physical. I was expecting him to harp on my weight, cholesterol, blood pressure — any of the other myriad issues that crop up as we age. But surprisingly, I left the office with my self-esteem firmly intact. (In…