High Vitamin D Intake Can Reduce Risk for MS

The recipient of a master of science in industrial engineering from Purdue University and a master of business administration from the University of Michigan, Janek Pawlik is a project and operations manager with more than a decade of experience. He most recently served as an operations manager with Siebel Systems, Inc. Outside his career-related pursuits, Janek Pawlik is interested in multiple sclerosis (MS) research.

A chronic autoimmune disease, MS affects the spinal cord, brain, and optic nerves, and is associated with symptoms such as memory loss, pain and fatigue, tingling feelings, and mood changes. Many people with MS and other diseases have a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is essential in supporting a variety of physiological functions, and evidence suggests it can help reduce the risk of getting MS.

In a 2018 review of studies (meta-study) published in Neurology and Therapy, researchers found that women who consumed 700 international units (IUs) of vitamin D each day were 33 percent less likely to develop MS compared to women with a lower average daily vitamin D intake. One study involving 149 MS patients, published in 2019 in the EPMA Journal, found that 90 percent of patients had vitamin D deficiency.

Sunlight and food sources aren’t considered enough to achieve optimal vitamin D status. The best way to achieve vitamin D sufficiency is to take daily supplements.