A review of studies published in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy (Vol. 40, No. 6, pp. 1158–1161) examined the possible role of vitamin D in the prevention or improvement of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. The authors searched Medline for articles published between 1970 and 2006 that addressed vitamin D and MS.
The review identified multiple studies suggesting that vitamin D supplementation was associated with improvement in MS symptoms. Results from a large prospective cohort study included in the review indicated that vitamin D supplementation was associated with an approximately 40 percent reduced risk of developing MS.
Additional research published in the journal Multiple Sclerosis (2009; 15(1):9–15) examined vitamin D status in 213 subjects, including 103 individuals with MS and 110 healthy controls. The study found that, in women (but not in men), every 10 nmol/L increase in serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] levels was associated with a 19 percent reduction in the odds of developing MS.
The authors concluded that higher vitamin D levels were associated not only with a lower incidence of MS, but also with reduced severity of disability among those with the condition.
Supporting evidence was also published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (2006; 296(23):2832–2838), further suggesting a relationship between vitamin D status and MS risk.
