Low Vitamin D levels may predict MS risk in women

New York Sep 14 (IANS) Women with lower level of Vitamin D in the blood may be at a higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) a disease which primarily affects the brain and spinal cord according to a study.

The findings revealed that with each 50 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) increase in Vitamin D levels in the blood the risk of developing MS later in life decreased by 39 per cent.

In addition women who had deficient levels of Vitamin D had a 43 per cent higher risk of developing MS than women who had adequate levels as well as a 27 per cent higher risk than women with insufficient levels.

"Our study suggests that correcting vitamin D deficiency in young and middle-age women may reduce their future risk of MS " said Kassandra Munger from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston.

In MS the body s immune system attacks the coating that protects the nerve cells.

According to a previous research the connection between vitamin D and MS could be tied to the positive effects vitamin D has on the immune system.

For the study published in the journal Neurology researchers used a repository of blood samples from more than 800 000 women in Finland taken as part of prenatal testing.

Out of these 1 092 women were diagnosed with MS and were compared to 2 123 women who did not develop the disease.

Of the women who developed MS 58 per cent had deficient levels of vitamin D compared to 52 per cent of the women who did not develop the disease.

While "more research is needed on the optimal dose of vitamin D for reducing risk of MS striving to achieve vitamin D sufficiency over the course of a person s life will likely have multiple health benefits " Munger said.

--IANS
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