Vitamin D & MS.Women who took at least 400 IU a day of vitamin D--the dose in most multivitamins--had roughly a 40 percent lower risk of multiple sclerosis multiple sclerosis (MS), chronic, slowly progressive autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks the protective myelin sheaths that surround the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord (a process called demyelination), resulting in damaged areas than those who took no 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. , says a study that tracked more than 187,000 women for 10 to 20 years. Vitamin D seems to prevent or slow an MS-like disease in animals, and some studies show that exposure to sunlight--which causes skin to make vitamin D--may protect against the disease. What to do: Add this study to your list of reasons for taking an ordinary multivitamin-and-mineral supplement. If nothing else, the vitamin D should strengthen your bones. |
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