The risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis may change with the seasons, according to a new study released Friday (Jan. 29) in a peer-reviewed journal Neurology.
Already studies have shown that in certain populations, people born in the spring tend to develop MS, a debilitative neurological disease.
Researchers Emmanuelle Waubant and Ellen Mowry are focusing their research on a seasonal effect that is mediated by gene HLA-DRB1. People in Canada, Sweden and Norway have the HLA-DRB1*15 allele of this gene that is associated with an increased risk of MS. Earlier this week, Dr. Waubant published a study showing how race may play a factor in the study of MS.
This new study is an important step in understanding how genes and environment interact in MS.
A deficiency in Vitamin D in pregnant mothers in the spring could be a factor in the increased MS cases. Vitamin D production changes with the seasons. This study could also help show that environmental factors may cause the onset of MS.
Recently, Dr. Sreeram Ramagopalan discovered that taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy may reduce the risk of a child developing MS in later life. FDA government guidelines also recommend that children under five take daily vitamin D supplements.
More study, of course, is necessary.
(Mike Szymanski, who was diagnosed with MS in 2000, was born in early September and his mother reportedly drank lots of milk. :)
...these other Examiners discussing MS:
- Gabrielle Sellers, the Denver Multiple Sclerosis Examiner
- Pamela Yelinek, the Houston Multiple Sclerosis Examiner
- Lori Friend, the Lima Multiple Sclerosis Examiner
- Miriam Franco, the Philadelphia Multiple Sclerosis Examiner
- Tom Scott's New York Disabilities Examiner, the MS stories
- Dev Meyers, the Canabis Revolution Examiner
- Mike Szymanski, the National Multiple Sclerosis Examiner
Comments
Mike, Was the milk your mother was drinking fortified with vitamin D? If I was forced to take sides I would say the study is wrong.
This goes nicely with the new venous malformation theory of MS, known as CCSVI. Low levels of maternal vit. D lead to congenital malformation of jugular and azygous veins as CCSVI researchers are finding in nearly 100% of MS patients, and ONLY in MS patients.
Being born in April is associated w/ high rates of MS. mothers are indoors, esp. in Northern climes and have low vit D levels at critical time in fetal development. Great study, thank you, UCSF.
The amount of vitamin d that is added to milk in the USA is only just able to prevent rickets in young children. With an adult the effect of sun exposure would dominate. The human body with full midday sun exposure creates around 20,000IU of D3 a day. The milk if you are lucky will give 200IU of D2 a day. D2 is less effective than D3, as D3 is the mammalian form and D2 the fungi form.
This article is only a very brief review of the role of vitamin D in MS. There are many other studies also showing the same link. www.vitaminD3world.com is a good site for information on vitamin D
Also have a look at www.grassrootshealth.net/ . The graph at the top of the page comes from an ongoing study of supplement level vs blood 25(OH)D level. Now consider that the RDA for an adult is 200IU and consider where that is on their graph. No wonder that a glass of fortified milk does so little. To get most people to a reasonable vitamin d level is requiring 5000IU a day. At 10,000IU a day the people in the study are still well away from levels that can cause toxicity.
Yes, there's much said about the role of Vitamin D - in supplements, it needs to be Vitamin D3 - and its ability to help MS, and most neurological disorders out there. Even depressive states have shown remarkable improvement with this inclusion in the diet. Add Omega3 fatty acids (via foods - not supplements) to the diet, and you'll have enhanced cognition and strengthening of the nervous system. I'm a living testament to this.
Trish
DC Nutrition Examiner
As Financial Times reported (October 23, 2009), back in 1984 some researchers gave study participants what they thought was 3,800 IU of D a day.(13) They suffered serious side effects, like kidney stones and vomiting. But, it was discovered later, the amount given participants was mistakenly about 100 times higher, 380,000 IU!
This one flawed study still rules, despite dozens of more
recent studies showing the 200 IU DRI is completely
inadequate.(14) Think about it, how could 3,800 IU be toxic when
a pale person sunbathing for 20 minutes midday in the
summer makes about 20,000 IU of vitamin D? (15)
Read more about this at GoodSchoolFood(dot)org, see the article "Fighting Flu with D" in the upper left corner, and that has the citations for above statements.
Mike, I too was born in early September. I have had MS for 8 years. I don't know if my mom drank a lot of milk or not, but our mother's first trimester of pregnancy would have been Jan.,
Feb., and March. Those months would also be cold months in the Midwest without much sun. Since for most everything else, isn't
the first trimester of pregnancy the one that is most crucial to
the development of the child. If so, I would think the children born in say July, August, and Sept. being at higher risk.
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