Vitamin D status and the risk of multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Neurosci Lett. 2014 Jun 6;570:108-13. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2014.04.021. Epub 2014 Apr 24.
Duan S1, Lv Z2, Fan X1, Wang L1, Han F1, Wang H1, Bi S3.
1Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China.
2Department of Rehabilitation, The First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China.
3Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China. Electronic address: bisheng13224510036 at 163.com.
To estimate the associations between vitamin D status and multiple sclerosis (MS). We searched electronic databases of the human literature in PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane Library up to February, 2014 using the following keywords: 'vitamin D' or '25(OH)D' and 'status' or 'deficiency' or 'insufficiency' and 'multiple sclerosis'. A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted on observational studies that reported the association between blood vitamin D levels and MS. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. 1007 patients and 829 controls were included.
Results of our meta-analysis show that MS patients had lower mean levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] than healthy controls (weighted mean difference[MD], -14.52, 95% confidence interval CI, -23.83 to -5.22). There were statistically significant heterogeneity (P<0.00001; I(2)=92%). The significant heterogeneity may be due to the differences in ethnicity, country, season of blood sampling and age of the participants studied. To sum up, low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of MS.
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
PMID: 24769422
See also VitaminDWiki
The articles in both MS and Meta-Analysis are:
- Multiple Sclerosis treatment not helped by small doses of vitamin D (yet again) – meta-analysis Jan 2024
- Multiple Sclerosis 2X-3X more likely if poor Vitamin D Receptor – Meta-analysis Feb 2020
- Multiple Sclerosis: 10 percent fewer relapses for each 10 ng higher level of vitamin D – Meta-analysis April 2020
- Multiple Sclerosis 40 percent more likely if mother had low vitamin D – meta-analysis Jan 2020
- Risk of Multiple Sclerosis varies with the Vitamin D Receptor – meta-analysis Dec 2019
- MS not treated by Vitamin D (a few old studies using small doses) – Meta-analysis July 2018
- Multiple Sclerosis treated when use high doses of vitamin D – meta-analysis May 2018
- Fewer Multiple Sclerosis lesions when supplemented with Vitamin D – meta-analysis May 2017
- Multiple Sclerosis and small doses of Vitamin D – meta-review March 2016
- Multiple sclerosis patients have 15 ng lower levels of vitamin D – meta-analysis June 2014
- Multiple Sclerosis and the Vitamin D Receptor – meta-analysis July 2014
- Multiple Sclerosis: number needed to treat with vitamin D may be as low as 1.3 – Meta-analysis Oct 2013
- No association between Multiple Sclerosis relapses and being treated with vitamin D–meta-analysis May 2013
- Multiple Sclerosis 23 percent more likely if born in April vs. Oct – meta-analysis Nov 2012
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
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
Multiple Sclerosis 42X more likely if light brown skin and smoke (both associated with low vitamin D) – July 2020
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: 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 side 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.
- Coimbra Protocol (using Vitamin D) is safe and effective for Multiple Sclerosis and Autoimmune diseases – April 2022
- 54,000 IU of vitamin D daily with no Calcium (1,000 IU per kg: Coimbra protocol) – July 2024
- 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 - Epstein-Barr virus increases risk of Multiple Sclerosis by 32X - Jan 2022
- Multiple Sclerosis treated by Vitamin D, recommends investigating high dose Coimbra - Oct 2021
- Multiple Sclerosis patients had fewer COVID-19 problems (Note: many MSers take Vitamin D) – April 30, 2021
- Vitamin D Resistance hypothesis confirmed by Coimbra high-dose vitamin D protocol – April 2021
- Multiple Sclerosis relapses cut in half by 100,000 IU of Vitamin D every 2 weeks– RCT 2019