Vitamin D, also known as the sunshine vitamin, plays a necessary role in helping to regulate the amount of phosphorus and calcium in your body. The different forms of vitamin D include vitamin D2, vitamin D3 and 25 hydroxyvitamin D. Vitamin D may help protect against multiple sclerosis, although more research is necessary to confirm this potential health benefit.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D3 is the form of this vitamin that your skin synthesizes through exposure to sunlight. After your skin processes ultraviolet light into D3, your body changes it into 25 hydroxyvitamin D, also called 25 hydroxycholecalciferol. Vitamin D2 comes from plants and you can absorb it from food or supplements. Your body must also change this form of vitamin D into 25 hydroxyvitamin D, the useable form of this fat-soluble vitamin. The U.S. Department of Agriculture recommended daily allowance of vitamin D for children and adults through the age of 70 is 600 IU per day.
Evidence
According to MayoClinic.com, some studies show that Vitamin D may help minimize the risk of developing multiple sclerosis, while other studies indicate that vitamin D may help reduce the severity of symptoms in people with multiple sclerosis. Research suggests that there is a link between the amount of sunlight you receive and the likelihood of developing multiple sclerosis.
Considerations
University of Washington Medicine reports that some research suggests the possible correlation between vitamin D and multiple sclerosis may be due to a gene variant that alters the immune process. There is some evidence that a deficiency of vitamin D may incapacitate the gene responsible for stopping the immune system's attack on the brain and spinal cord that occurs in people with multiple sclerosis.
Precautions
While a deficiency of vitamin D from all sources of this vitamin, including vitamin D2, may play a role in the development of multiple sclerosis, research is limited and this vitamin is not a standard recognized remedy or preventative medicine in treating multiple sclerosis. Talk to your doctor and get a blood test that measures your vitamin D levels before you take vitamin D supplements. Too much vitamin D can cause nausea, constipation, weight loss, weakness and can increase your risk of developing kidney stones.
