Reduce Your MS Risk By 62% With This Brain-Critical Vitamin

Research shows yet another reason vitamin D sufficiency is so important.

ShanonG

Jun 12, 2023 - 21:02

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Reduce Your MS Risk By 62% With This Brain-Critical Vitamin

mbg Supplement Editor

By Morgan Chamberlain

mbg Supplement Editor

Morgan Chamberlain is a supplement editor at mindbodygreen. She graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Science degree in magazine journalism and a minor in nutrition.

Image by Trinette Reed / Stocksy

June 12, 2023

Thanks to its many physiological functions ranging from cognitive function to immune support, vitamin D is essential in keeping our bodies healthy. Whether we're investigating breast cancer or dementia, it's clear that vitamin D sufficiency plays a big role in lowering disease risk.

As such, vitamin D deficiency is incredibly prevalent in a number of serious diseases—including multiple sclerosis.

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What is multiple sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that affects the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. Considered an autoimmune disease, the immune system attacks myelin—the sheath that forms around and protects nerve fibers—in MS patients, causing disruptions in signals (i.e., communication) throughout the central nervous system.

Individuals with MS experience unpredictable symptoms such as tingling, mood changes, memory issues, numbness, pain, fatigue, and even blindness and paralysis. These symptoms can be temporary or, in worse cases, long-lasting and debilitating.

The link between vitamin D status and MS

Individuals with a higher intake of vitamin D and higher vitamin D blood levels are less likely to develop MS 1, according to a 2018 review from Neurology and Therapy. Specifically, women that consumed approximately 700 IU of vitamin D daily had a 33% lower incidence of MS compared to those who consumed less vitamin D per day.

To put this amount into perspective, 93%2 to 100% of the U.S. population is failing to consume even 400 IU per day. Evidence suggests that 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 daily is the average amount needed to help folks reach and maintain truly optimal vitamin D status [i.e., 25(OH)D serum levels of 50 ng/ml or higher].

Research suggests vitamin D deficiency is also extremely prevalent in multiple sclerosis populations—one small study of 149 MS patients published in the EPMA Journal in 2019 found that 90% were vitamin D deficient 3. This is significantly higher than the U.S. adult population (of which 29% are deficient in vitamin D 4).

While clinical sufficiency is defined as 30 ng/ml or higher, endocrinologists and other leading wellness experts suggest that 50 ng/ml is the cutoff for true sufficiency—and research on disease prevention suggests a higher 25(OH)D level is far more beneficial for lowering disease risk, including MS.

In fact, a JAMA study evaluating over seven million U.S. military personnel found that individuals with vitamin D levels greater than 40 ng/ml were 62% less likely 5 to develop multiple sclerosis.

The science is clear: Vitamin D deficiency is extremely prevalent in MS patients; maintaining healthy vitamin D status can help reduce your risk of developing MS.

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The best way to sustain vitamin D sufficiency

To obtain true vitamin D sufficiency, you should aim for a 25(OH)D serum level of 50 ng/ml or higher. As mentioned above, the average person requires 5,000 IU of vitamin D3 (not D2) daily.

Getting enough vitamin D from sun exposure can be nearly impossible (not to mention unsafe, considering sunscreen blocks UV rays—and therefore, the cutaneous production of vitamin D). Food isn't a sufficient source of vitamin D either, unless you like consuming 50 glasses of milk every day. No, sunlight and food simply aren't effective manners for getting adequate vitamin D, and so, we're left with one option: high-quality vitamin D supplementation.

In taking a premium vitamin D supplement with 5,000 IU of D3 daily, you're giving your body the best possible chance of reaching (and sustaining) truly optimal vitamin D status. (Take it from me—last time I neglected to take my vitamin D supplement, blood work revealed my serum levels dropped 40%.)

If you aren't sure what to look for in a quality vitamin D supplement, check out mindbodygreen's roundup of vetted vitamin D supplements—we've scoured the market, so you don't have to.

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The takeaway

Vitamin D deficiency is found in 90% of MS patients. Luckily, evidence suggests that maintaining vitamin D sufficiency is an effective way to lower your MS risk.

To achieve (and maintain) vitamin D sufficiency, consider upping your daily vitamin D intake with a quality supplement that delivers 5,000 IU of D3.