This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

MS is not the only disease associated with vitamin D deficiency. A few days past there was a news release regarding a Harvard study of 50,000 men and how adequate vitamin D levels would result in a 30 risk reduction of all cancers.



Earlier this year Ascherio et al found that 400 IU/d of vitamin D3 endowed female users with a 40% risk reduction from MS.

Merlino et al found that a greater intake of vitamin D was inversely associated with risk of rheumatoid arthritis. Andjelkovic et al showed vitamin D therapy had a positive effect on disease activity in 89% of the patients (45% or 9 pts. with complete remission and 44% or 8 pts. with a satisfactory effect). Only two patients (11%) showed no improvement, but no new symptoms occurred. [/quote]

This study of identical twins has uncovered a previously unknown gene with strong associations to both MS and rheumatoid arthritis.

Hypponen et al published their findings that babies who received at least 2,000 international units (IU) of vitamin D daily were nearly 80% less likely to develop type 1 diabetes over the next three decades compared with infants who had lower intakes of the vitamin, according to findings published in the November 3rd issue of The Lancet.

Juvenile diabetes a.k.a. Type I diabetes or IDDM is skin to MS. It has been demonstrated by Winner et al that Type I diabetes and MS share the same disease process with the difference being which self-tissue is targeted. In Type 1 diabetes, the GAD proteins and consequent islets on the pancreas are targeted while in MS the CNS issue is assailed.

If you combine the results of these observational studies with the recent recognition of human physiological tolerance to higher levels of vitamin D than the current dogma, then it is fair to assume even greater levels of prevention can be expected from D3 observance.

So if you don’t take vitamin D3 for your MS, RA or IDDM you might want to consider it for cancer prevention.

Cheers and HNY
Nick

PS

A company in Nevada, Advanced Nutritional Innovations, wants to give persons with MS in Canada and the USA free Ca/Mg/VitD supplements. Direct-MS has put up a notice of this and a link to the application form on our website. To get the free supplement all you have to do is fax in the form. We have recently received the our vitamins from ANI and spoken with the company president on the phone; it is all legitimate.

Here’s an interesting abstract:
Vitamin B12, demyelination, remyelination and repair in MS.



While I knew that Vitamin B12 deficiency was one of those things that’s typically ruled out when a diagnosis of MS is being considered, I found a lot I didn’t know (no surprise there ) when I read the article.



Overall it looks to me like Vitamin B12 supplementation might be a really good thing for lots of reasons. Are there any reasons why people with MS should not use Vitamin B 12?

Thanks!

Sharon

Sharon -

Thanks for that info. I was advised to take B12 and I take 1000 mcg under the tongue twice a day. B12 is supposed to help with energy and depression and at least for me it (or my belief in it) is working: energy has never been better and no problems with depression. (Fish oil supplements may also be helping with the latter.)

- Arcee

B12 is definitely being evaluated to see if it'll help us.


Mario Moscarello, PhD
Fabrizio Mastronardi, PhD
Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto
$177,730 (April 1/04 - March 31/06)

Vitamin B12 in combination therapy induces remyelination

MS is characterized by the patchy destruction of the myelin sheath surrounding nerve fibres. If myelin is not properly repaired, symptoms of MS start to develop.

An effective therapy must therefore have a double action. It should stop myelin destruction while rebuilding the myelin sheath, a job that is normally done by oligodendrocyte cells.

The results from previous work funded by the MS Society convinced these researchers that combining vitamin B12 and beta interferon might provide the double action of stopping myelin destruction and rebuilding myelin. It was able to stop myelin loss, reduce clinical signs, and restore near to normal function in mice that develop an MSlike disease (DM20 transgenic mice and acute and chronic EAE mice). Drs. Moscarello and Mastronardi saw similar clinical results when vitamin B12 was added to paclitaxel, a well known cancer drug. They also found that vitamin B12 and beta interferon therapy alters the levels of Notch- 1, Jagged-1 and Sonic hedgehog. These interestingly named molecules help immature oligodendrocytes to become mature, myelin-making cells.

With their renewed funding, they plan to study how vitamin B12 synergizes with other drugs to alleviate the clinical symptoms of MS-like disease. They hope their studies in mice can be applied to people to improve the clinical picture of MS.

http://www.mssociety.ca/en/research/pdf ... 202004.pdf

DIRECT-MS would like to offer their latest presentation, Prospects for Vitamin D Nutrition. The format is a Voiced PowerPoint presentation (‘Webcast’) and the discussion is narrated by Reinhold Vieth of the departments of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Mount Sinai Hospital and Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto.

Dr. Vieth addresses the topics of:
Vitamin D and Human Evolution
Clinical relevance of higher vitamin D intakes
Toxicology of Vitamin D

Cheers
Nick

Thanks it's long but well worth the watch. I wonder why the neurologist is not running vitamin D level blood test.

_________________
John was diagnosed Jan 2005. On lipitor 20mg .On Copaxone since July 4,2005. Vitamin D3 2000iu-4000iu (depending on sunshine months)June 10 2005(RX::Dr. O'Connor) Omega 3 as well Turmeric since April 2005. Q10 60mg. 1500mg liquid Glucosamine Nov 2005.

Thanks Nick! I found some of the slides difficult to read (even when I used the full screen option) and I was wondering if there's anyway to obtain the presentation in PDF, PowerPoint, or some other format?

Thanks again, NHE

As per the link we were watching it says even these levels are inadequate at the bottom of the scale as in order to have sufficient your level should exceed 80 nmol/L I believe. I also found out our GP can run the test for me and is going to next week. It's just a blood test. I will be interested in hubby's results as he started D3 in June of this year so with luck he is in an acceptable range without being toxic. Will keep you posted.I've actually decided boosting till he hits around 150 nmol/L but that is just my opinion

How is vitamin D deficiency determined?

The serum 25-OH vitamin D3 level is the best initial test for vitamin D deficiency. If there is a high level of clinical concern for vitamin D deficiency and a low-normal 25-OH vitamin D3 level is found, serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) concentration and a 24-hour urine calcium should be checked.

Although experts differ, the following definitions have been proposed (1):

Vitamin D sufficiency: 25-OH vitamin D3 is 20 to 80 ng/mL (50 to 200 nmol/L) and there is normal calcium homeostasis/bone metabolism.

Vitamin D insufficiency: 25-OH vitamin D3 is 4 to 20 ng/mL (10 to 50 nmol/L) with mild hyperparathyroidism, sub-optimal calcium absorption, and decreased bone density.

Vitamin D deficiency: 25-OH vitamin D3 is 0 to 4 ng/mL (0 to 10 nmol/L) with secondary hyperparathyroidism and malabsorption of calcium, causing osteomalacia.

Controversy over the lower limit of the optimal range of 25-OH vitamin D3 reflects awareness that the "normal range" varies depending on the reference lab. Most normal ranges are based on 95 percent confidence intervals for the general population. For example, in the United Kingdom, where there is relatively less light exposure (higher latitude) and less fortified food than in the United States, the reference range lower limit is 3 ng/mL (8 mM/L). In contrast, the lower limit in some laboratories in the United States is 18 ng/mL (45 mM/L) (2).

This variability has led to recommendations to abandon the lower limit of the normal range for serum 25-OH vitamin D3 and use a "target" concentration of 25-OH vitamin D3 instead, the latter derived from PTH measurements. This would be the 25-OH vitamin D3 concentration at which the mean serum PTH concentration starts to increase in population studies. This method would also eliminate geographical and seasonal variations that affect population-based normal ranges. With this "physiologic" approach, the optimal lower limit of 25-OH vitamin D3 has been found to be around 20 to 35 ng/mL (50 to 88 mM/L).

These recommendations take into account studies showing that some patients with 25-OH vitamin D3 levels in the low end of the "normal range" have clinical and pathologic evidence of vitamin D insufficiency, as indicated by an elevated PTH reflecting increased bone turnover and mild osteomalacia (3).

Although 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D3 is the biologically active metabolite of vitamin D, it is not a good measure of vitamin D status. When patients are vitamin D deficient, the parathyroid hormone increases and drives the renal 1-alpha-hydroxylase, so that 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D3 levels increase. It is only with severe vitamin D deficiency, when substrate is depleted, that a deficiency of 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D3 occurs. Therefore, earlier stages of vitamin D deficiency can be missed by measurement of the level of 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D3.

* Some experts feel that elderly people and veiled women living in northern latitudes need closer to 1,000 IU per day (5).
<shortened url>

Vitamin D 1,000 IU
Stimulates absorption of calcuim, important for bone maintenance and plays a role in regulating blood pressure. Jamieson uses only vitamin D3. This is the nutrition industry's premium grade natural vitamin D source.
<shortened url>

_________________
John was diagnosed Jan 2005. On lipitor 20mg .On Copaxone since July 4,2005. Vitamin D3 2000iu-4000iu (depending on sunshine months)June 10 2005(RX::Dr. O'Connor) Omega 3 as well Turmeric since April 2005. Q10 60mg. 1500mg liquid Glucosamine Nov 2005.

Hi again Melody. Just read after posting to you on another post. Informative and part of what I am looking for. Thank you for your input on this post. Linda

Hi NHE

The entire Powerpoint presentation is prohibitively large. However if you want one or two particular slides, send an email requesting so to info@DIRECT-MS.org.

Cheers
Nick

One of the big issues, as I understand it, is that levels needed for normal bones may not be sufficient for the other functions of Vitamin D, with immunomodulation being of particular interest.

I haven't found much information on gradually increasing dosage, but a nutritionist recommended if I was to supplement Vitamin D it is better to gradually "walk Up" Vitamin D intake, perhaps allowing PTH and possibly other hormones involved in calcium homeostasis re-equilibrate. so one doesn't "overshoot". I remember that on the recent calcitriol (1,25-OH D) study in MS patients, some of them had to have dosages adjusted for mild elevated blood calcium levels in certain individuals. Calcitriol is not the same stuff as D3, but I wonder if the same principle might apply.

Gradually increasing dose would sort of make sense, as in nature, the main source of Vtamin D is of course sunlight. People in tropical areas would be acclimated to getting regular doses year-round. People in temperate latitudes would have their sunlight dose gradually increased in the springtime, a combination of spending more time outdoors and a gradual steady increase in UVB radiation. They wouldn't be doing the equivalent of going from no vitamin D to a lot in a very short period of time. I wonder if gradually walking up the Vitamin D dose would prevent the spike in blood calcium levels that happens with some people starting supplementation. This is a separate issue than outright taking too much Vitamin D.

I don't know if anyone has seen this particular aspect discussed anywhere. Anybody?

Lisa

Thanks for the reply. If the file is less than 50 MB or so then I would be willing to download it (I once downloaded a 230 MB file through my 28.8 modem - this took about two days!). I have also taken advantage of a friend's cable modem to download 8 GB of Linux ISO CD's where file size isn't such of an issue. However, I realize that making such a file publicly available would put a strain on your server's bandwidth. Perhaps there might be an alternative server that would host it if file size is an issue with your bandwidth.

Thanks again for the reply, NHE

You are best to use the email addy I provided to make your request.

Cheers
Nick

Just got John's vitamin D test back for his levels. Our lab says normal range is between 25 to 200 nmol/L and John is sitting at 142 nmol/L. That is after taking Vitamin D of at least 2300iu per day since June 10/05 I believe. I've recently bumped him to 2700iu due to less sun exposure for winter months. I can't believe there is such a wide window on the normal range. That is a big difference. We will have these levels checked 2-3 times per year now so as not to go into a toxic state. John by the way spent lots of hours in the sun this summer as his body temperature was able to regulate for the first time in years. We live on the lake so we are talking about 4 hours per day. He tans well so very rarely uses sun screen. His levels should have been even higher I would have thought.

_________________
John was diagnosed Jan 2005. On lipitor 20mg .On Copaxone since July 4,2005. Vitamin D3 2000iu-4000iu (depending on sunshine months)June 10 2005(RX::Dr. O'Connor) Omega 3 as well Turmeric since April 2005. Q10 60mg. 1500mg liquid Glucosamine Nov 2005.

Unfortunately my computer kept crashing, I saw about two thirds of the slide show. If anyone watched it to the end...is there indeed a toxic level for D3 according to the presenter? A new GP recommended quite large dosages, I'm a bit uneasy about it.