Vitamin D A Ray Of Hope For Multiple Sclerosis Patients

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The latest research shows that progress has been made in suggesting a link between the “sunshine vitamin” and a gene that increases the risk of the incurable neurological condition, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), an inflammatory disease of the nervous system.

The news comes from a study that researched how vitamin D interacts with the genes that make certain people more likely to develop MS.

Details of the study

This genetic and laboratory study was conducted by Prof. George Ebers, Dr Julian Knight and colleagues from Oxford University, John Radcliffe Hospital and various institutions in Canada, and looked at whether there might be a relationship between vitamin D and genetic weakness for MS.

The researchers carried out a case-control study in 322 participants to see if there was a genetic variation in participants with MS (cases) and participants without MS (controls). The researchers also looked at the DNA from 168 participants who did not carry these high-risk genetic factors, but who had other genetic factors that were not associated with increased risk of MS, or had only a modest increase in risk.

They also further looked at the possibility of certain genes being ‘switched on’ in the presence of vitamin D. The genes being ‘switched on’ would happen through a process of protein binding which takes place once vitamin D enters the body.

At the end of the study the researchers identified a possible location for vitamin D binding in the region that controls the ‘switching on’ of the HLA-DRB1 gene. Of this the researchers concluded that their finding “imply direct interactions between HLA-DRB1, the main genetic susceptibility locus for MS, and vitamin D, a strong candidate for mediating the environmental effect”. They also say that since there is a high incidence of vitamin D deficiency in the general population their data support the case for supplementation to reduce the number of people who have MS.

Professor Ebers said: “Our research has married two key pieces of the puzzle. The interaction of vitamin D with the gene is very specific and it seems most unlikely to be a coincidence of any kind... I think it offers the potential for treatment which might prevent MS in the future.”

Even though this study is exciting in the sense that it opens up new treatment options for MS, there is still a lot to be learned about this disease in order to find the cause of it. Multiple genetic and environmental factors play a role in the development of MS, and this study advances scientific understanding of how these factors interact.

Vitamin D deficiency as caused by lack of exposure to sunshine, has been increasingly linked to the cloudier climate in Scotland and other northern latitudes. The deficiency is twice as common in Scotland as it is amongst the English – Orkney and Shetland has among the highest rates. Last November, at a conference organised by the Scottish Government, international experts urged vitamin D supplements for Scots to be tested “sooner rather than later” to find whether they could improve the nation’s health.

MS is hailed as the disease of the north. Below is an indication of MS rates per 100,000 of the population, comparing different countries in the northern and southern hemisphere.

Northern Hemisphere:                         Southern Hemisphere:

Canada 240                                             Australia 78

Scotland 150 – 200                                Spain 59

Norway 110                                              Brazil 18

England and Wales 90 - 110

‘Vitamin D for Overall Health’ published online 05/12/08, thehealthierlife.co.uk

‘Vitamin D linked to MS’ by NHS Knowledge Service, published online 05/02/09, nhs.uk/news

‘Vitamin D is ray of sunshine for multiple sclerosis patients’, by Melanie Reid and Oliver Gillie, published online 05/02/09, timesonline.co.uk