Vitamin D & MS.Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease autoimmune disease, any of a number of abnormal conditions caused when the body produces antibodies to its own substances. In rheumatoid arthritis, a group of antibody molecules called collectively RF, or rheumatoid factor, is complexed to the individual's own gamma that strikes more often the further you live from the equator. Could vitamin D--which most people get from the sun's ultraviolet rays--help keep the immune system immune system Cells, cell products, organs, and structures of the body involved in the detection and destruction of foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunity is based on the system's ability to launch a defense against such invaders. from attacking the body? Researchers compared vitamin D vitamin D Any of a group of fat-soluble alcohols important in calcium metabolism in animals to form strong bones and teeth and prevent rickets and osteoporosis. It is formed by ultraviolet radiation (sunlight) of sterols (see steroid) present in the skin. levels in blood samples from roughly 150 U.S. military personnel with MS and nearly 300 without. The samples were taken, on average, five years before the disease was diagnosed. Among whites, those with the highest blood vitamin D levels had a 62 percent lower risk of MS than those with the lowest levels. The link was strongest when researchers looked at blood samples taken before age 20, suggesting that vitamin D may matter most in childhood. Vitamin D was not linked to MS in blacks or Hispanics. What to do: It's too early to know if vitamin D prevents MS. Still, it's worth shooting for about 1,000 IU (International Units) a day from all sources combined: a multivitamin mul·ti·vi·ta·min adj. Containing many vitamins. n. A preparation containing many vitamins. multivitamin or calcium supplement, milk, other foods, or a separate supplement (see November 2006, cover story). JAMA JAMA abbr. Journal of the American Medical Association 296: 2832, 2006. |
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