Posted on 06/09/2009 8:20:27 AM PDT by Scythian
NaturalNews) Children who develop multiple sclerosis have substantially lower levels of vitamin D than children who do not develop the disease, according to a series of studies presented at an international conference on multiple sclerosis in Montreal.
Multiple sclerosis is a degenerative disease of the nervous system in which the myelin sheath that insulates nerve cells breaks down, leading to problems in the transmission of nervous signals. Symptoms can range from tingling and numbness to tremors, paralysis or blindness. An estimated 2.5 million people around the world suffer from the disease, which is rarely diagnosed before the age of 15.
In one study, researchers from the University of Toronto tested the vitamin D blood levels of 125 children who had exhibited symptoms indicating some form of damage to the myelin sheath.
"Three-quarters of our subjects were below the optimal levels for vitamin D," lead researcher Heather Hanwell said.
After a year, the researchers compared the data from the 20 children who had since been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis with those who had not exhibited any further demyelinating symptoms. They found that the average vitamin D levels of children who had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis were substantially lower than those of the other children. Among the diagnosed children, 68 percent of children were actually deficient in the vitamin.
A similar study was conducted by researchers from Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children.
"Seventeen of 19 children who had been diagnosed with MS had vitamin D levels below the target level," researcher Brenda Banwell said.
Researchers have suspected a connection between vitamin D and multiple sclerosis for many years, ever since discovering that the disease is more common at more northern latitudes. Because the body synthesizes vitamin D upon exposure to sunlight, deficiency is much more common in places where the sun is weaker, especially during the winter.
"There is a very consistent pattern of latitude and multiple sclerosis," said epidemiologist and multiple sclerosis researcher Cedric Garland of the University of California-San Diego.
Hanwell directly linked Canada's northern latitude to its high rates of multiple sclerosis.
"In Canada for six months of the year the sun is not intense enough for us to manufacture vitamin D in our skin," she said.
Canada has one of the highest multiple sclerosis rates in the world. One of the few countries with a higher rate is Scotland, which has regions reached by only a quarter of all available sunlight. Recent research has confirmed a strong connection in Scotland between vitamin D deficiency and poor health status.
"People have been looking for things in the environment that might account for why Canada has such a high MS risk, and this is one of those factors," Banwell said.
It remains unclear exactly how vitamin D might influence multiple sclerosis risk, but researchers believe it may have to do with the immune system. New research continues to illuminate the role that vitamin D plays in the immune system, providing protection against cancer, tuberculosis and autoimmune diseases.
Many health researchers believe that multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease.
"Vitamin D acts as an immune modulator," Banwell said. "On our immune cells there are what are known as receptors, a docking mechanism, for vitamin D. In MS, there are many lines of evidence that immune cells are not regulated properly."
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Does this mean children should be encouraged to play outside and not fear the sun quite so much?
ping
Yes...AND, it means they need more Vit D3.....much more than the RDA especially if they live North of Phoenix, AZ
So Multiple Sclerosis inhibits production and/or absorption of Vitamin D in children?
Yes, that is exacty what it means, in fact, I have read that lack of sun and sunblock itself is the real cause of most skin cancer, but anyway, our kids get a nice color in the summer and it’s important and what man has done for 1,000’s of years.
Yes, even tropicana orange juice now comes with Vitamin D, however, nothing compares to the amount of Vitamin D your skin will produce in the sun, just start off slow, build some color, and get some tan, it’s healthy.
From 45 years ago I hear a voice shouting - "Go outside and play!"
Are they sure about that?
Under ObamaCare, you can bet MS treatment will be denied.
"Get the hell out of the house, you're driving me crazy!"
Oh yes, they are sure.
No they are not.......
Whatever, keep your kids inside then an pasty white cause that’s what man has done for thousands of years ....
MS could affect the absorption of vitamin D.
Ya, and it happens mostly in Northern lattitudes right? fraid not. Whatever, I just walked away from what would have kill most people and did so by learning how the human body works, lack of minerals and vitamins and amino acids and so on cause disease, and are behind all of our disease.
http://morgellonspgpr.wordpress.com/2009/04/20/its-all-about-the-terrain/
I’m not going to argue with you over it, I don’t care what you believe. People die by the 1,000’s every day due to lack of the basic minerals of life, especially when it comes to heart disease (which isn’t a disease at all)
Stop the insanity! Stop slathering sunblock SPF 50 all over kids!
Ex post facto, case control and retrospective studies can never show cause and effect. They can be used to rule out causes though.
Maybe you should contact the Medical Researchers involved in these studies, “cause I’m sure none of this ever crossed thier minds ...” Sometimes, commonse sense is the right choice ...
Vitamin D is also believed to help reduce the frequency of relapses in those with MS. For several years I have been going to the sunbelt in the winter, whenever I get the opportunity, to get a vitamin D break.
Juice is not a good idea for people on MS drugs. For example, orange juice “Can wipe out the positive effect of [MS] drugs”. See: http://scamparoo.wordpress.com/2008/08/19/juice-can-wipe-out-effects-of-drugs-study-finds/
An article on this from nine-years ago is available here:
“Vitamin D: a natural inhibitor of multiple sclerosis.”
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11115787
Thanks for pointing that out. I was merely pointing out the fact that lots of foods are now coming with Vitamin D suppliments as the medical research is pointing to the lack of being bad ...
One interesting fact is that it’s been known since 1930 or so that there is an inverse relationship between skin cancer and other forms of cancer.
People getting alot or even too much sun can get skin cancer from it, but the fact that they generate lots more Vit D seems to reduce the chances of other, much more deadly and undetectable forms.
Fascinating article by an MD about his research on Vitamin D:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/51913.php
Another interesting tid-bit, people with MS are less likely to get cancer! See: “Multiple Sclerosis Associated With Lower Cancer Risk” at:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090330165806.htm
take a look at post 30 - really an interesting read.
I think it means we all should. I recently started vitamin D (was tested low and have peripheral neuropathy). I cannot tell you how much better I feel, plus, I can grow fingernails (maybe silly, but I have never had fingernails like this before, so something is going on!) LOL
There is actually only about 100 IU in a glass of milk. We probably need far more than that. I”m taking 1000 IU per day now and am seeing improvement in my nerve condition.
I would think so.
I recall a study that the people who had the least incidence of skin cancer were life guards — who got tons of consitent Sun, but few sunburns -— and TONS of self-produced Vitamin D.
It could. My symptoms were like MS. Vitamin D is the first thing that has helped. I don’t think it’s going to cure the damage, but it seems to have stopped it from getting worse, plus I feel better. So,who knows for sure, but it is NOT natural for people to get almost no sun, and there aren’t really any good food sources of vitamin D, so it would SEEM that lack of D might be a problem.
Here’s a good article specific to MS.
“Potential Role of Vitamin D in Multiple Sclerosis”
http://blog.oup.com/2009/06/vitamin-d-multiple-sclerosis/
It has a very good discussion on sun exposure and sun block.
Thank goodness there are some folks on this forum that are smart and open minded ... Great info guys and gals
That’s fantastic that it is working. It is so hard to figure out what is causing what.
I have a friend who started to get a weird taste in the back of his mouth. After it wouldn’t go away he checked on the internet and found others with the same symptoms. It was caused by pine nuts! Specifically pine nuts from Trader Joe’s. He stopped the pine nuts, the symptoms went away.
I don't doubt that researchers are aware of this confounding (not that such awareness stops them from peddling junk science every day, if there is money to be made or attention gained). It's the news media and readers (as evident from the article and responses) who need reminding, since they routinely fall into 'correlation=causation' trap.
How odd. One thing is, many doctors don’t look very far and just give you a pill. I’m all for medications, I’m all for even trying different ones if you can’t find a cause, but in the years I spent trying to figure out what was causing my issues, I found that most of the doctors I dealt with weren’t really all that interested in diagnosing, they wanted to find something that would keep me content, which usually meant a pain killer. I wanted to know WHY I was having the problem.
You are so right, that is why when I started having heart issues and palps they wanted to just give me beta blockers, instead, I started with CALM Mangnesium and now I am in great shape, the Beta Blockers would have merely masked my magnesium defiencency until I had a heart attack and died, which is the case in most heart attacks (and they know it).
I take Carlson’s Lemon Flavored Cod Liver Oil, 2 tbsp a day, and 2000iu Vit D....so, I’m getting about 4000iu a day, plus all the DHA, EPA’s etc....I had symptoms similar to yours....bio-id hormones and vitamin gave me a new life. I’d probably be in a wheelchair now....if I didn’t take what I take....and, yes, I get my Vit D levels tested...due for another test in the next month.
Have you ever thought of taking Carlson’s Lemon Flavored Cod Liver Oil?
How low was yours?
In the past 5 years it has been....31, 41, and in 2007, 38....I think it should be nearer to 50....and will be discussing this with my doc.
Mine was much lower than that, I want to say 15. I will be anxious to see what it is next time they test.
I did take a look, and thank you, it was a very interesting read! I walk 20-30 minutes each day in Florida sunshine because I do believe that Vitamin D is beneficial, but will now take a trip to Walgreen’s to purchase some extra D3. Thanks.
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