Does anyone know if there are trials being done to prove taking a high vitamin D supplement each day will greatly benefit people with Ms.
If this turns out to be the case, surly treatment in our hospitals would be a godsend not only to us ms sufferers but also for the NHS in general as would be a really cheap DMD!
Opinions please?
Some of us were found to be deficient in Vit D levels (having been tested specifically for this) and have acted accordingly.
Although i do not know of any current, and hopefully definitive trials, i am sure some studies have been conducted previously, as my neurologist was adamant that i should consume at least 4000 UI daily.
Take a look at the following article on the MS Society website
and also there are various pages on the Barts MS blog. The MS Trust is also a good source for latest developments.
I take 5,000iu daily but I have no way of measuring its efficacy as I cannot risk stopping its use for a long period. Some take up to 10,000iu daily.
Alun
No vit D/MS trials in the UK at present but worldwide there may be.
Here’s the link to the US clinical trials website. Some Vit D/MS trials have finished, some say recruiting.
Well I’m happy to take 5000iu per day on the advice of my neuro and I’ve done so for several years. And when my vitamin D levels were recently checked they were in the normal range. So I’ve taken that to mean they may have been low before I started the supplement.
Sue
I take 5000iu daily (neuro’s advice), in fact he said anyone with MS should be looking to achieve levels above “normal”, he actually said levels within “African” range.
Now what African range is I do not know, but seeing as mine was 50ng/ml (124nmol/l) and he advised to stay on 5000iu then I’m guessing I still need to get my levels up a bit ?
Take a peep at this :
The Barts Bog has reported on a small study, but expecting vitamin D3 to become a DMD is a bit of a stretch.
"To remind you it is our policy to advise all our patients to ensure they are vD replete; we aim for a plasma level of 25OH-vD3 of greater than 100 nmol/L and less than 250 nmol/L. We start by recommending 5,000IU/day and testing blood levels about 12 weeks later. If levels are still low and the patient has been adherent then we increase the dose to 10,000 IU/day and if too high we reduce the dose to between 2,000-4,000IU/day. It is clear that plasma levels of vD are highly variable and are affected by dietary and multiple genetic factors. We never tell our patients that this will improve or help their MS; we say it may do but the real reason for being vD replete is to improve you bone health.
http://multiple-sclerosis-research.blogspot.com/2016/01/researchspeak-moderate-dose-vitamin-d.html
There have been a few studies on vitamin D and infections, not related to MS though. Studies have shown that there is a link between vitamin D levels and the risk of getting a respiratory infection. People who have low vitamin D levels tend to have a higher chance of developing a respiratory infection.
In RRMS infections can trigger relapses. I do wonder if infections are associated with disability progression in PPMS.
Hi, There’s this journal article about vit D and RRMS.
Vitamin D supplementation reduces relapse rate in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis patients treated with natalizumab
I take high dose Vit D too and was recommended to do this by the first (non MS) neuro I saw.
Louise
There are at least 3 major protocols for MS that use very large amounts of Vitamin D
All protocols suggest using very large amounts of Vitamin D, but they MUST be done with the help of a knowledgeable medical professional who can measure your bloods etc and advise the use of foods that avoid overload of calcium.
If you increase your Vitamin D to very high levels it encourages your body to absorb calcium from your food, so you have to reduce your intake of calcium and take addition vitamins like Vitamin K2 and other co-factors to direct the calcium to your bones. If you don’t, you are likely to end up in hospital with Hypercalcemia !
You can read more about this at: http://www.vitamindwiki.com/Overview+MS+and+vitamin+D