Vitamin D Status Does Not Affect Disability Progression of Patients with Multiple Sclerosis over Three Year Follow-Up
. PLoS ONE 11(6): e0156122. doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0156122
The Vitamin D benefit was only noticed in those < age 37
Suspect a similar benefit would be noticed for those having MS for a short time (< 5 years)
Only rarely can a modest level of Vitamin D undo the long-term ravages of a disease
See also Vitamin D Life
- Multiple Sclerosis Relapsing-Remitting rate reduced 30 percent by addition of 14,000 IU vitamin D daily – RCT Nov 2016
- No multiple sclerosis relapses during pregnancy if 50,000 IU of Vitamin D weekly – RCT April 2015
- Fewer Multiple Sclerosis lesions when supplemented with Vitamin D – meta-analysis May 2017
- Multiple Sclerosis: number needed to treat with vitamin D may be as low as 1.3 – Meta-analysis Oct 2013
- Multiple Sclerosis is more likely if poor Vitamin D Receptor (4X Mexico, 3X Iran)– Feb 2017
Overview MS and vitamin D contains the following summary
Clinical interventions have shown that Vitamin D can prevent, treat, and even cure Multiple Sclerosis, at a tiny fraction of the cost of the drugs now used to treat it, and without side effects.
- Fact: Low Vitamin D results in higher risk of getting MS
Increase latitude leads to decreased Vitamin D, which leads to increased risk of MS
Dark skinned people are far more likely to get MS (dark skin people typically have low vitamin D)
Elderly (who typically have low vitamin D) are more likely to get MS
Is there increased risk in people who already have diseases associated with low vitamin D - TB, for example ? ? ?
Women typically have 3X increased MS risk then men (note: women typically have 20% lower levels of vitamin D than men)
Exception: women in very sunny climates and dark-skinned women have the same MS risk as men
Obese are 60% more likely to get MS
Smokers - smokers have lower level of vitamin D and have higher incidence of MS (also, smokers are difficult to cure of MS in Brazil)
MS recurrence is much higher in spring - the lowest time of the year for vitamin D
increase in clouds/rainfall (which reduces available Vitamin D) is associated with increased risk of MS (Scotland, Western Washington)
MS incidence has increased 70% in a decade while the incidence of vitamin D deficiency doubled
Less MS in those with outdoor occupations PDF file, not a web page - Fact: MS uses up Vitamin D
- Fact: Lower vitamin D (due to MS using up Vitamin D while fighting the disease) results in many other health problems (such as broken bones), so depleted vitamin D levels must be restored.
- Fact: Vitamin D looks so promising for preventing and treating MS that there were 25 INTERVENTION clinical trials as of Feb 2014
- Fact: Vitamin D reduced the MS relapse rate far better than Fingolimod which is now used for that purpose.
- Note: Fingolimod costs $25,000/year while vitamin D, which works better and has no site effects is 1000 times less expensive.
- Fact: 98% of the genes affected by Interferon are also affected by Vitamin D
- Note: 1 week of Interferon = $4,700, 1 week of vitamin D 10,000X lower cost
- Fact: MS Doctors in Brazil recommending 40-100 ng/mL of Vitamin D
- Fact: Many MS forums are recommending vitamin D to treat MS, with some taking 5,000 to 10,000 IU daily
Observation: Risk of going from pre-MS to MS reduced 68 percent with 7100 IU vitamin D – RCT Dec 2012- This is an observation instead of a fact - it has not yet been confirmed.
- Fact: VERY LARGE doses of vitamin D have CURED 2,000 people of MS in Brazil
- Controversy: UVB fron sunlight or UVB bulb may be BETTER than Vitamin D for reducing the risk of getting MS
- Hypothesis: In addition to Vitamin D there are many other photoproducts produced by UVB that may promote health.
Summary: lack of consensus on how much to prevent, treat, or cure MS.
- How much Vitamin D to prevent many diseases - such as MS
- How much Vitamin D is needed to treat MS? There is currently no agreement
The recommendations range from 40 to 100 ng - which can result of a dose ranging from 3,000 to 20,000 IU/day - How Vitamin D is needed to Cure MS?: It appears that 20,000-140,000 IU daily may be needed to CURE the disease
You must be under the supervision of a doctor who knows what to watch for in your individual situation.
High doses of Vitamin D cannot be used as a monotherapy.
You will need to adjust the cofactors: Typically increasing Magnesium and Vitamin K2, and reducing Calcium intake.
Your doctor will monitor these and might increase your intake of Vitamins B2, C, as well as Omega-3
Multiple Sclerosis and (lots of) Vitamin D - book by patient on Coimbra protocol - Feb 2016 contains protocol description
Vitamin D Protocol used by Dr. Coimbra for Multiple Sclerosis etc.
Snips as of April 2016 http://www.vitamindprotocol.com/dr.-coimbra-s-ms-protocol.html
- 1,000 IU's vitamin D per kilogram as a first approximation
(apparently increased/decreased depending of resulting vitamin D blood level) - Vitamin B2, magnesium glycinate, boron, chromium picolinate, Omega 3 DHA, Zinc, Methylcobalamin form of B12, Choline, etc.
- Lack of B12 may affect 10%–15% of the general population and may be the most prevalent genetic risk factor for several human diseases
- Discontinue eating or drinking dairy products or calcium enriched foods or beverages, also no Ca supplements
- Drink as least 2.5 liters [85 ounces] of fluids, preferably water
- Required Tests: Vitamin D, Parathyroid, Blood calcium, urinary calcium
 Download the PDF from Vitamin D Life
Anne-Hilde Muris1,2*, Joost Smolders20, Linda Rolf1,2, Lieke J. J. Klinkenberg3,
Noreen van der Linden3, Steven Meex3, Jan Damoiseaux3, Raymond Hupperts1,2
1 School for Mental Health and Neuroscience, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands,
2 Academic MS Center Limburg, Zuyderland Medical Center, Sittard, the Netherlands,
3 Central Diagnostic Laboratory, Maastricht University Medical Center, Maastricht, the Netherlands
a Current address: Department of Neurology, Canisius-Wilhelmina Hospital, Nijmegen, The Netherlands * a.muris at maastrichtuniversity.nl
Background and Objective
The risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as MS disease activity is associated with vitamin D (25(OH)D) status. The relationship between the main functional disability hallmark of MS, disability progression, and 25(OH)D status is less well established though, especially not in MS patients with progressive disease.
Methods
This retrospective follow-up study included 554 MS patients with a serum baseline 25(OH) D level and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) with a minimum follow-up of three years. Logistic regressions were performed to assess the effect of baseline 25(OH)D status on relapse rate. Repeated measures linear regression analyses were performed to assess the effect on disability and disability progression.
Results
Baseline deseasonalized 25(OH)D status was associated with subsequent relapse risk (yes/no), but only in the younger MS patients (< 37.5 years; OR = 0.872, per 10 nmol/L 25 (OH)D, p = 0.041). Baseline 25(OH)D status was not significantly associated with either disability or disability progression, irrespective of MS phenotype.
Conclusion
Within the physiological range, 25(OH)D status is just significantly associated with the occurrence of relapses in younger MS patients, but is not associated with disability or disability progression over three years follow-up. Whether high dose supplementation to supra physiological 25(OH)D levels prevents disability progression in MS should become clear