Vitamin D is hot, and not just in the MS world but in the whole world. Quite suddenly, Vitamin D is in the spotlight. I used to think the Vitamin D in my multi-vitamin was enough, and then I upped my dosage to 1000 IU. After a visit to my Neurologist in August, I increased my dosage to 4000 IU per day. His recommendation was 1000 IU per day for older children, 2000 IU for adults and 4000 IU daily for MS patients.
It has been suggested that environmental factors affect MS. There are relatively few cases of the disease in areas closer to the equator, while parts of Europe and North America are on the high side in terms of MS cases. This supports the Vitamin D theory. If you are getting more sunlight, you are getting more vitamin D.(and less MS)
Julie fromabout.com:Multiple Sclerosis wrote: Before this study, we already knew that on chromosome 6, there is a gene that plays a role in the development of multiple sclerosis. For people without a certain version of the gene, the risk for multiple sclerosis is 1 in 1000. If someone has a certain variation of that gene, the risk increases to around 1 in 300 and 1 in 100 if a person has two copies of the gene variant (see more on who gets MS?). Now, researchers understand that during fetal development and very early childhood, certain proteins that are activated by vitamin D directly interact with the gene. Lack of vitamin D causes the gene to act in a way that increases the chances of developing multiple sclerosis. In other words, the news is that researchers now understand why vitamin D seems to matter in MS.
Does this information make you want to take Vitamin D or make sure that your children are taking Vitamin D?
Other Vitamin D information:
A vitamin D video by John Douillard
I've been taking RX 50,000 IU Vit D 1xwk for yrs. My neuro is a big believer in the benefits and has many of he's ms patients on that dose. He feels it's just as important as my Copaxone in reducing relapses.