Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

A forum to discuss the Coimbra Protocol which uses high-dose vitamin D3 to treat multiple sclerosis.
AntonioBR
Family Elder
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 11:06 am

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by AntonioBR »

-
-

Association of vitamin D status and clinical and radiological outcomes
in a treated MS population in Poland.


Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Vitamin D influences the immune system significantly. Previous studies have found that vitamin D deficiency in adolescence can play a significant role in increasing the risk of developing autoimmune diseases including multiple sclerosis. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the vitamin D status in serum and clinical and radiological outcomes in a treated population in Poland.

METHODS:
Inclusion criteria met 83 adult patients aged 20-61 years with diagnosis of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, who underwent immunomodulatory treatment which lasted at least 12 months. Levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D were determined using radio-immuno assay. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain and cervical part of a spinal cord was performed each time after 12 months of the treatment. Patients were assessed neurologically after 12 months of treatment, the level of disability was also assessed using Extended Disability Status Scale.

RESULTS:
The largest group (63.8%) showed significant vitamin D deficiency (<20 ng/ml), 21.7% showed the suboptimal level of vitamin D (20-30 ng/ml). The normal level of 25(OH)D (>30 ng/ml) was observed in 14.5% of the patients. Statistically significant correlation was observed between the vitamin D status and frequency of relapses.

CONCLUSIONS:
Our findings confirm that deficiency of vitamin D in patients with MS is correlated with clinical and radiological course of the disease.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28239520
AntonioBR
Family Elder
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 11:06 am

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by AntonioBR »

-
Effect of vitamin D3 on self-perceived fatigue
A double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial


Background:

Vitamin D deficiency is frequent and has been associated with fatigue in uncontrolled trials.

Methods:

This is the first double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial to investigate the efficacy of per os vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) in treating fatigue among otherwise healthy persons with low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels. We enrolled 120 individuals (mean age 29 ± 6 years, 53% women) presenting with fatigue and vitamin D deficiency (serum 25(OH)D < 20 μg/L). Participants were randomized to a single oral dose of 100,000 units of vitamin D or placebo. The primary endpoint was intra-individual change in the fatigue assessment scale (FAS) at 4 weeks after treatment.

Result:

The mean age of the participants was 29 ± 6 years, 53% were women. Mean FAS decreased significantly more in the vitamin D group (−3.3 ± 5.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] for change −14.1 to 4.1) compared with placebo (−0.8 ± 5.3; 95% CI for change −9.0 to 8.7); (P = 0.01). Amelioration of fatigue was reported more frequently in vitamin D than in placebo group (42 [72%] vs. 31 [50%]; P = 0.01; odds ratio [OR] 2.63, 95% CI for OR 1.23–5.62). Among all participants, improvement in fatigue score correlated with the rise in 25(OH)D level (R = −0.22, P = 0.02).

Conclusion:

Vitamin D treatment significantly improved fatigue in otherwise healthy persons with vitamin D deficiency.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5207540/
mrtmeo
Family Elder
Posts: 121
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 4:44 pm
Location: Wisconsin, USA

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by mrtmeo »

AntonioBR wrote:Multiple sclerosis: Decreased relapse rate through dietary supplementation with calcium, magnesium and vitamin D

Abstract
A group of young patients having multiple sclerosis was treated with dietary supplements containing calcium, magnesium and vitamin D for a period of one to two years. The experimental design employed self-pairing: the response of each patient was compared with his/her own case history as control. The number of exacerbations observed during the program was less than one half the number expected from case histories. No side effects were apparent. The dietary regimen may offer a new means of controlling the exacerbation rate in MS, at least for younger patients. The results tend to support a theory of MS which states that calcium and magnesium are important in the development, structure and stability of myelin.

Source:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar ... 7786900101
My thinking is you can lower the PTH by taking more calcium, but I don't think this will modulate the immune system like taking D in high dose and restricting calcium intake.
Am I right or could just lowering the PTH induce remission?
Mother was on Rituximab and prednisone for Microscopic Polyangiitis which attacked the kidneys and lungs.
Drs denied her dialysis and appropriate treatment for her MPA and forced her into hospice.
She is in heaven and free from pain.
AntonioBR
Family Elder
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 11:06 am

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by AntonioBR »

mrtmeo wrote: My thinking is you can lower the PTH by taking more calcium, but I don't think this will modulate the immune system like taking D in high dose and restricting calcium intake.
Am I right or could just lowering the PTH induce remission?
You are right. The patient needs to modulate his immune system (and lower his PTH) using vitamin D to induce disease's remission.

Calcium is more determinant to influence PTH than vitamin D. However, an excessively low-calcium diet is not recommended. Calcium plays an important role in our system.

Dr. Coimbra talks about it with more deitails. I'll quote him:


Question:
PTH-levels are tightly regulated by hormonal feedback loops and mainly dependent on Calcium-levels, just as is the activation of vitamin D.

Due to this regulation, there is no direct relationship between 25-OH-D and 1,25-D levels - is it not too simplistic to use it as the only parameter? Or are these regulations simply overridden by the large doses you administer? Merknad [Unbekanntl]:


Answer:
PTH inhibition is an endpoint of one of the multiple effects of vitamin D. The magnitude of PTH decrease in response to a testing dose of vitamin D can indeed be used to reliably assess the individual resistance to the biological effects of vitamin D provided that other variables that significantly influence the PTH level are kept under reasonable control.

Ultimately calcium level (not vitamin D) is expected to be the most important determinant of PTH synthesis - simply because the primary PTH function is the control of calcium levels. Either hypercalcemia or hypocalcemia may cause death, so that serum calcium level has to be strictly kept within a narrow physiological range, and PTH is a major regulator of serum calcium. Therefore, changes of calcium levels can either override or increase the inhibitory effect of vitamin D on PTH synthesis, thereby preventing the use of PTH changes to adjust the dose of vitamin D as to compensate for the specific level of individual resistance (prevent tailoring of vitamin D daily dose).

That is another major reason why patients on high-dose vitamin D therapy have to comply with the recommended diet.
If they exaggerate and put themselves into an excessively low-calcium diet, serum calcium will get close to the lower limit of the normal range, in spite of the high level of vitamin D favoring . Consequently PTH will increase (despite the inhibitory effect of vitamin D) and will decrease the amount of urinary calcium to minimize calcium loss (calcium sparing). In addition, increased PTH will release calcium from bones (using bone calcium to prevent serum calcium from falling below the normal range (using bone tissue as a source of calcium). These PTH-dependent mechanisms cooperate to prevent hypocalcemia under insufficient dietary calcium.

On the other hand, patients that do not comply with the recommended diet and keep taking foods containing excessive amounts of foods containing bioavailable calcium also affect the use of PTH for adjustment of vitamin D intake. As serum calcium gets closer to the upper limit of its normal range due to increased intestinal absorption PTH is inhibited, so that vitamin D is no longer the main inhibitor of PTH production. In such circumstance PTH level becomes low enough to falsely suggest adequate dose of vitamin D to suppress disease activity.
mrtmeo
Family Elder
Posts: 121
Joined: Sun Aug 28, 2016 4:44 pm
Location: Wisconsin, USA

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by mrtmeo »

Thanks Antonio,

That explains exactly the conclusion I came to understanding the research and explains my mom's issues.
My guess is keeping the D levels high enuf that the PTH is at the lowest normal level while keeping calcium levels within the 9's mg/dL.
However, kidney disease tends to cause calcium to dump in the gut from the bones if not consuming alot of calcium, so it makes it difficult to regulate for them.

One more question:
Do folks on the D protocol start out getting better or do they get worse before getting better?
Mother was on Rituximab and prednisone for Microscopic Polyangiitis which attacked the kidneys and lungs.
Drs denied her dialysis and appropriate treatment for her MPA and forced her into hospice.
She is in heaven and free from pain.
AntonioBR
Family Elder
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 11:06 am

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by AntonioBR »

mrtmeo wrote: One more question:
Do folks on the D protocol start out getting better or do they get worse before getting better?

Well, a patient getting worse specifically because of the Coimbra Protocol - probably it will not happen.

Only for people that are taking Huge doses (+ 150,000iu's) like my brother. And I never saw people talking about it - not even Dr. Coimbra.

Insomnia and little nausea can happen if you take huge doses. Now, my brother only takes his dose in the morning (before he was taking it after dinner). The insomnia was solved.

On the facebook page of the book "High-Dose Vitamin D for Autoimmune Diseases". They posted an answer that Coimbra gave to a german patient about this subject. If you read it. You will see that no factor is related properly with the protocol.

Remember that he is talking about MS symptoms...

---------------------------------

This has been posted today by Christina K., one of the administrators of the German group, and we asked permission to share it with you. In this email Dr. Coimbra talks about the known reasons for worsening symptoms in the beginning of treatment, or even after a patient has been on the protocol for a while:

"Dear Christina,
The factors that may counteract the effects of treatment we have identified so far are (1) above all, the emotional issues (we have extensively written about that: please read the final part of the latest update - I think you received a copy of that: I am not sure); (2) recurrent infections (particularly urinary tract infections - sometimes subclinical - but especially when associated with fever); (3) frequent alcohol drinking; (4) smoking; (5) excessively hot baths.

Returning of old symptoms does not represent reactivation of disease: those symptoms will recur transiently whenever there is a transient stressful life event (being alarmed will only prolong those symptoms by turning on a vicious cycle), whenever they are sleep deprived, tired (for having worked excessively) or exposed to high environmental temperature. They should avoid drugs for gastric "protection" like omeprazol, pantoparazol, etc.

The initial dose does not provide full effect of the treatment and de full effect of the initial daily dose is reached after 2 months from the beginning of the treatment. The full effect of the treatment is expected for 2-3 months after dose adjustment at the second appointment.

Patients should be taking riboflavin 50-100 mg 4 times a day and magnesium (for instance, nowadays, we suggest magnesium chloride 500 mg twice a day).

Best regards,
Cicero G. Coimbra"

Cicero G Coimbra, MD, PHD
AntonioBR
Family Elder
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 11:06 am

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by AntonioBR »

jamesrealo wrote:Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, neurodegenerative disease of the nerves in your brain and spinal column, caused through a demyelization process. It has long been considered a “hopeless” disease with few treatment options.

The typical prescription for MS focuses on highly toxic medications like prednisone and interferon. However, research over the past few years suggests MS may be improved using a number of natural methods—including vitamin D.

source: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/artic ... rosis.aspx

Yes, it is right. There are a lot of natural treatments that helps with MS.

But, about vitamin D, there are studies (and thousand of testimonials) using 50,000IU and 35,000IU showing much better results than 400~600IU/day (old FDA recommendation) or 1,000~5,000IU (average recommendation of ''natural'' medicine). Now, FDA has increased the recommending for 1,000IU/day. The physiological dose of vitamin D3 is also not enough for people with autoimmune disease.

The physiological dose has been recently recognized to be minimally 7,000 daily units for adults with normal body mass index, the same amount that one produces in just 10 to 20 minutes of exposure to the sun, depending on the extent of exposed body surface, body position (basking or standing), skin pigmentation, skin age and sun positioning (which changes the amount of UVB - the vitamin D-producing radiation). Sunscreen blocks the body's ability to produce vitamin D, and its use should be delayed until enough vitamin D has been generated. So 10,000 is also a physiological dose, not a super dose. However most doctors consider this dose potentially toxic.
AntonioBR
Family Elder
Posts: 607
Joined: Sat Dec 12, 2015 11:06 am

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by AntonioBR »

Vitamin D modulates the expression of HLA-DR and CD38 after in vitro activation of T-cells.


Abstract

OBJECTIVE:
Vitamin D (VitD) is an anti-inflammatory hormone; however, some evidence shows that VitD may induce the expression of activation markers, such as CD38 and HLA-DR. We explored its effect on the expression of these markers on CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells in vitro, and their potential correlations in vivo.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:
CD38 and HLA-DR expression was measured by flow cytometry in PHA/IL-2-activated mononuclear cells cultured under VitD precursors: three cholecalciferol (10-11M, 10-9M, 10-7M; n=11) and two calcidiol (40 ng/mL, 80 ng/mL; n=9) concentrations. The correlation between the expression of these markers in freshly isolated blood cells and serum levels of calcidiol was also explored (n=10).

RESULTS:
Cholecalciferol at 10-7M increased the proportion of CD4+ CD38+ and CD8+ CD38+ cells, and decreased CD8+HLA-DR+ cells. As co-expression, it increased the CD38+HLA-DR- and decreased CD38-HLA-DR+ subpopulations in both CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells, and decreased CD4+CD38-HLA-DR- and CD8+ CD38+HLA-DR+; whereas both calcidiol concentrations decreased the proliferation of CD38-HLA-DR- and CD38-HLA-DR+ subpopulations. Both forms of VitD increased the number of CD38 molecules per cell. In contrast, there was a positive but non-significant correlation between serum calcidiol levels and the expression of CD38 and HLA-DR in CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells.

CONCLUSION:
Although no significant correlations were observed in vivo in healthy subjects, VitD treatment in vitro modulated immune activation by increasing the expression of CD38 and decreasing the proliferation of HLA-DR+ and resting cells, which may correlate with improved effector and decreased proliferative capabilities. These results highlight the potential use of VitD as therapeutic strategy in immune disorders.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28222027
Lionel
Family Member
Posts: 74
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:02 pm
Location: Argentina

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by Lionel »

Lack of vitamin D may cause multiple sclerosis, study finds


Researchers say findings may have important public health implications as vitamin supplements are relatively safe and cost-effective

Press Association
Tuesday 25 August 2015 19.06 BST Last modified on Wednesday 22 February 2017 18.06 GMT
Lack of vitamin D may be a direct cause of multiple sclerosis (MS), a study has found. The discovery may have important public health implications since so many people have insufficient levels of the essential vitamin, researchers say.

The findings may help explain why rates of MS, a potentially disabling auto-immune disease that damages nerve fibres, are higher in high-latitude regions such as northern Europe, which have fewer sunny days. Sunshine triggering a chemical reaction in the skin is the primary source of vitamin D.

Previous studies have suggested an association between lower vitamin D levels and a higher risk of MS. But now scientists have demonstrated a genetic correlation that points strongly to a causal link.

Scientists who scoured the DNA of 33,996 participants identified four single-letter variants in the genetic code that were closely associated with a vitamin D blood marker.

A comparison between thousands of MS sufferers and healthy individuals found that people whose genetic makeup was associated with a lack of vitamin D – meaning they had fewer of the biomarker variants – were at least twice as likely to have MS.

Writing in the online journal Public Library of Science Medicine, the authors, led by Dr Brent Richards from McGill University in Canada, wrote: “The identification of vitamin D as a causal susceptibility factor for MS may have important public health implications, since vitamin D insufficiency is common, and vitamin D supplementation is both relatively safe and cost-effective.

Advertisement

“The importance of these findings may be magnified in high-latitude countries, which have disproportionately higher rates of MS and also higher rates of vitamin D insufficiency.”

The research showed that every standard deviation decrease in genetic variants linked to the vitamin D biomarker doubled the risk of MS. Standard deviation is a statistical measurement of variation from an average.

The finding provided “strong evidence in support of a causal role of vitamin D in MS susceptibility”, said the scientists.

They added: “Whether vitamin D sufficiency can delay or prevent multiple sclerosis onset merits further investigation in long-term randomised controlled trials.”

Vitamin D generated by sunlight is converted in the body into the blood marker 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD). This is then further converted into the active form of the vitamin, calcitriol, which acts as a powerful hormone. 25OHD levels in the blood are considered the best indicator of a person’s clinical vitamin D status.

MS, which affects about 100,000 people in the UK, occurs when the immune system attacks the protective myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibres and acts as an insulator. Nerve signals are disrupted, leading to symptoms that can range from mild tingling sensations to full-blown paralysis. In rare cases that progress rapidly, the disease can be fatal.

Advertisement

Dr Benjamin Jacobs, from the Royal National Orthopaedic hospital in London, said: “This study reveals important new evidence of a link between vitamin D deficiency and multiple sclerosis. The results show that if a baby is born with genes associated with vitamin D deficiency they are twice as likely as other babies to develop MS as an adult. This could be because vitamin D deficiency causes MS, or possibly because there are other complex genetic interactions.”

Prof Danny Altmann, an immunologist from Imperial College London, said: “Vitamin D is relatively cheap, safe and many of us would be all the healthier if we could achieve the serum levels that our ancient ancestors presumably acquired when roaming outdoors in temperate climates, unclothed and eating a diverse diet including oily fish.

“While it may be too much to expect therapeutic vitamin D to treat or reverse ongoing MS, this paper will add to the weight of argument for routine vitamin D supplementation of foodstuffs as a broad preventative public health measure.”

Dr Susan Kohlhaas, the head of biomedical research at the MS Society, said: “More than 100,000 people are affected by multiple sclerosis in the UK, so the potential link between vitamin D and the risk of developing MS is an incredibly crucial area of research.

“There are many unanswered questions around what causes MS so this large-scale study is an exciting step towards understanding more about the complex nature of the genetic and environmental factors that contribute to it.

“There are government guidelines around how much vitamin D people should take, and taking too much can lead to side-effects, so we’d encourage people to talk to their health professional if they’re thinking of doing this. We’d also welcome more research into this area, as we know it’s really important to people living with MS.”


https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... osis-study
Lionel
Family Member
Posts: 74
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:02 pm
Location: Argentina

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by Lionel »

Preventive effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on conversion of optic neuritis to clinically definite multiple sclerosis: a double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled pilot clinical trial.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23250818
Last edited by Lionel on Sun Apr 02, 2017 6:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
Lionel
Family Member
Posts: 74
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:02 pm
Location: Argentina

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by Lionel »

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 reversibly blocks the progression of relapsing encephalomyelitis, a model of multiple sclerosis.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/875 ... ding=f1000
Lionel
Family Member
Posts: 74
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:02 pm
Location: Argentina

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by Lionel »

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and risk of multiple sclerosis.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17179460
Lionel
Family Member
Posts: 74
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:02 pm
Location: Argentina

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by Lionel »

Association of vitamin D metabolite levels with relapse rate and disability in multiple sclerosis.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18653736
Lionel
Family Member
Posts: 74
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:02 pm
Location: Argentina

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by Lionel »

Vitamin D status and effect of low-dose cholecalciferol and high-dose ergocalciferol supplementation in multiple sclerosis.


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19383644
Lionel
Family Member
Posts: 74
Joined: Mon Apr 25, 2016 1:02 pm
Location: Argentina

Re: Vitamin D: Scientific Studies & News

Post by Lionel »

Clinical implications of a possible role of vitamin D in multiple sclerosis


https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... 3195/#CR61
Post Reply
  • Similar Topics
    Replies
    Views
    Last post

Return to “Coimbra High-Dose Vitamin D Protocol”