High doses of vitamin D "have potential" to be a treatment for patients with multiple sclerosis, researchers reported last night.
A US-based study found evidence that taking vitamin D in the diet helped to regulate the hyperactive immune response suffered by people with the disease.
The findings, reported in the journal Neurology, involved 40 patients with relapsing remitting MS.
Half the patients received levels of vitamin D at more than 17 times the recommended daily allowance – which is 600 international units – over a six month period. The other half received 800 units a day.
There was no evidence of clinical improvement as one person in each group relapse.
But tests showed a reduction in the level of the inflammatory T cells related to severity of disease, such as IL-17+CD4+ cells.
Researcher Professor Peter Calabresi, of the Johns Hopkins University medical school, Baltimore, Maryland, said: "These results are exciting, as vitamin D has the potential to be an inexpensive, safe and convenient treatment for people with MS.
"More research is needed to confirm these findings with larger groups of people and to help us understand the mechanisms for these effects, but the results are promising."
He added: "We hope that these changes in inflammatory T cell responses translate to a reduced severity of disease. Other clinical trials are under way to determine if that is the case."
Neurology 31 December 2015
Leave a Reply