Lack of Vitamin D May Cause Multiple Sclerosis

A study published in the journal PLoS Medicine has, for the first time, established a possible causal role for vitamin D deficiency in the susceptibility to multiple sclerosis ⎯ a debilitating neurodegenerative condition that has no cure yet.

Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis: what’s the deal?

Multiple sclerosis(Ms) is an autoimmune condition wherein the body’s own immune system attacks the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. The attack is specifically directed to myelin, the insulating material that sheaths nerve cells. Destruction of this coating disrupts communication between nerves, thereby causing both physical and mental problems. Since this disease has no known cure yet, efforts are ongoing to detect any risk factors that may increase the likelihood of developing the disease. A low level of vitamin D is one such risk factor; multiple studies have found an association between deficiency of the vitamin and an increased risk for MS. This study wanted to take it a step further and determine if vitamin D deficiency could actually cause MS. For that purpose, the researchers studied four genetic variants linked to low production of vitamin D and quantified how much each variant affected vitamin D levels.

Lack of Vitamin D May Cause Multiple Sclerosis - Clapway

Genetically lowered vitamin D strongly increases the risk for multiple sclerosis

The study used a method called Mendelian randomization to rule out confounding factors that generally plague genetic analyses. They examined the four genetic variants among participants of the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium study, a genome-wide association study with up to 14,498 people with MS and 24,091 healthy controls. All the participants of this study were of European descent. When looking at the relationship between the genetic variant-induced reduction in vitamin D and the risk for MS susceptibility, they found that a decrease of one standard deviation of the vitamin levels increased the risk of MS twofold.

Still some questions unanswered

Since the genetic variants are randomly inherited in individuals, the results from this study are majorly unbiased and credible. However, there are still many confounding factors that cannot all be accounted for, even after randomization. Therefore, the causal link between vitamin D and MS cannot be established unequivocally. Nevertheless, more studies that replicate these findings may establish this close to a certainty. Meanwhile, research exploring the effect of vitamin D supplements on the prevention or stalling of MS symptoms could be a viable avenue.

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Vitamin D pills may not always be beneficial


Working indoors makes it hard to get your daily Vitamin D dose. Luckily, you can bring the sun into your office with the Sun LifeLight: