Vitamin D may slow the progression of multiple sclerosis and reduce abnormal activity in the brain.

According to a report by Harvard scientists, timely correction of vitamin D deficiency is very important in the treatment of this disease..

Lead researcher Dr. Alberto Ascherio, professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health, is confident that vitamin D, sometimes referred to as the "

“Our results, combined with previous data, suggest that vitamin D deficiency is a risk factor for multiple sclerosis.. The immunological effects of this vitamin suggest that its adequate level is the key to effective treatment of MS,” said the researcher..

In his work, he found that the level of vitamin D at the time of the onset of the first symptoms of multiple sclerosis makes it possible to predict the development of the disease over the next years..

People with low levels of vitamin D (less than 50 nanomoles per liter) are more likely to develop new lesions in the brain and have a worse prognosis than people with adequate blood levels of the vitamin. Dr Ascherio said: "

In their study, the Harvard team measured vitamin D levels in 465 patients with evidence of multiple sclerosis who were participating in a trial of interferon beta-1b therapy.. In the next 5 years, patients underwent MRI scans, so scientists had an excellent opportunity to track the development of the disease..

During the first year of follow-up, an increase in vitamin D levels above 50 nmol/l was associated with a 57% reduction in the risk of new lesions in the brain.. In fact, these patients were half as likely to experience multiple sclerosis flares.. The size of existing lesions on MRI in T2-weighted mode in these patients increased by 25% more slowly..

But some experts say it's too early to recommend vitamin D to patients with central nervous system disease.. Dr. Nicholas LaRocca of the US National Multiple Sclerosis Society said: “No one yet knows what links multiple sclerosis and vitamin D.. Scientists suggest that vitamin D has some effect on the immune system..

It is also not clear what doses of the vitamin should be given..

“We don’t know what level would be optimal. There is no consensus among scientists on the treatment protocol,” LaRocca noted..

medbe. en.