Multiple Sclerosis 6X more likely to progress quickly if low vitamin D – Aug 2016

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
  
  
  There is less of an effect recently - air conditioning now allows people to stay indoors

  
  
  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: Increasing levels of Vitamin D is associated with lower MS risk, as well as lower risk of many other diseases

  
• 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