Multiple sclerosis, or MS, is an autoimmune disease that causes damage to your central nervous system. If you have MS, your immune system attacks the myelin surrounding your nerve cells. This leads to symptoms including difficulty walking, pain and vision problems. Although there is a relationship between vitamin B-12 and MS, the exact nature of this relationship is still not clear. However, supplemental vitamin B-12 may help with the treatment of multiple sclerosis.
Vitamin B-12 and Myelin
Vitamin B-12 is necessary for making myelin. Without sufficient amounts of vitamin B-12, people with MS may have trouble forming myelin to replace that which is destroyed due to having MS. This might lead to an increase in the multiple sclerosis symptoms a person is experiencing and a deterioration of his condition.
Multiple Sclerosis and Vitamin B-12
Vitamin B-12 levels are often low in people with multiple sclerosis due to problems with vitamin B-12 metabolism. Because the symptoms of vitamin B-12 deficiency are similar to those of multiple sclerosis, this deficiency can go unnoticed without testing.
Multiple Sclerosis Treatment
Treatment for multiple sclerosis may include corticosteroids to suppress your immune system and limit inflammation; glatiramer acetate, which the immune system mistakes for myelin; or immunosuppressants or interferons to suppress your immune system. These treatments can help to limit the symptoms associated with MS since they keep the immune system from attacking your myelin.
Considerations
Vitamin B-12 is not a cure or a stand-alone treatment for multiple sclerosis. However, if you have a vitamin B-12 deficiency, your overall symptoms may be worse because of additional deficiency symptoms. These symptoms can include a type of anemia characterized by large red blood cells, neurological symptoms similar to those found with MS, loss of appetite, tongue soreness and constipation.
References
- University of Washington: Multiple Sclerosis
- Linus Pauling Institute; Vitamin B-12; Jane Higdon, Ph.D., et al.; August 2007
- Multiple Sclerosis Society: Vitamins and Minerals
- "Journal of Neuroimmunology"; Multiple Sclerosis and Vitamin B-12 Metabolism; E.H. Reynolds; October 1992
- "Journal of the Neurological Sciences"; Vitamin B-12, Demyelination, Remyelination and Repair in Multiple Sclerosis; Ariel Miller, et al.; June 2005
- "Archives of Neurology"; Vitamin B-12 Metabolism in Multiple Sclerosis; E.H. Reynolds, et al.; June 1992
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