Vitamin D Levels Might Predict Risk for MS

Children with lower levels of vitamin D seem to be at a higher risk of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Research indicates that multiple sclerosis is more common the farther away you get from the equator, in other words, in areas where there is less sunlight.

Vitamin D synthesis is triggered when ultraviolet rays from the sun hit the skin. In addition, studies have also linked vitamin D with immune system function.

“In MS, the immune system is misregulated, and we do know that there’s a susceptibility in the genes we inherit from our parents. We know that something triggers the disease. We know from epidemiological studies that there’s a higher prevalence of MS the farther away you live from the equator and, more recently, we’ve learned that vitamin D does regulate the immune system.

Many studies have given us a good link between vitamin D status and immune function in MS, to see whether vitamin D status was lower in children who had their first demyelinating event and were subsequently diagnosed with MS.

A first demyelinating event is essentially an attack of symptoms that could indicate trouble with the central nervous system. One quarter of children who have such an attack go on to be diagnosed with MS.

The researchers measured levels of a vitamin D biomarker in children who had had a first event.

The biomarker of vitamin D status was significantly lower in children diagnosed with MS to date. Children diagnosed with MS had lower vitamin D levels than those not diagnosed. Another way of looking at it, as vitamin D status increased, children had a lower risk of being diagnosed.

There is growing evidence linking vitamin D and risk of MS. Further studies may prove that vitamin D supplementation could reduce the risk of MS.