01-13-2005

Vitamin D Supplements to Protect Against MS

Recent studies have shown that exposure to sunlight - key in the production of vitamin D by the body - during early life, protects against the incurable disease, Multiple Sclerosis. This is why many experts believe that the lack of vitamin D in people living in northern, less sunny climates, is responsible for their increased risk of the disease. An Oxford University team reported that babies born in Scotland in May have the highest risk of developing MS while children born in November had the lowest risk. Their research, on more than 29,000 patients in Scotland and Canada, concluded that a mother's exposure to sunlight during pregnancy may be a factor in whether her child develops the neurological condition in later life.

Last year a 20-year survey of more than 185,000 American women found that those who took multivitamins containing vitamin D were 40 per cent less likely to develop MS. An estimated 2.5 million people in the world have MS, but it is much more common in women than men - at a ratio of 2 men to 3 women, according to the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation.

Courtesy American Longevity Archives