Vitamin D Connected to Lower MS Risk
News Note
By Lara Evans Bracciante
Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, August/September 2004.
Copyright 2003. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.
Vitamin D consumption has been associated with a decreased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), a condition affecting approximately 400,000 Americans. The study tracked more than 187,000 women for 10 to 20 years and found that subjects who took at least 400 International Units (IU) daily -- the amount found in most multivitamins -- had about a 40 percent decreased chance of developing MS. Vitamin D also appears to prevent or slow MS-like symptoms in animals.
Produced naturally by the body when it is exposed to sunlight, vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and a hormone precursor, thus playing an important role in several biological functions. Experts recommend taking no more than 1,000 IUs daily, as excessive amounts of vitamin D can be toxic. However, most cases of toxicity reports involve intake of 25,000 to 60,000 IUs daily for one to four months.
Copyright 2003. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.
Vitamin D consumption has been associated with a decreased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS), a condition affecting approximately 400,000 Americans. The study tracked more than 187,000 women for 10 to 20 years and found that subjects who took at least 400 International Units (IU) daily -- the amount found in most multivitamins -- had about a 40 percent decreased chance of developing MS. Vitamin D also appears to prevent or slow MS-like symptoms in animals.
Produced naturally by the body when it is exposed to sunlight, vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin and a hormone precursor, thus playing an important role in several biological functions. Experts recommend taking no more than 1,000 IUs daily, as excessive amounts of vitamin D can be toxic. However, most cases of toxicity reports involve intake of 25,000 to 60,000 IUs daily for one to four months.
