A new clinical trial showed, for the first time, that the intake of high doses of vitamin D can prevent the progression of multiple sclerosis, a chronic autoimmune disease that has no cure.
To take high doses of Vitamin D can delay the progression of multiple sclerosis (EM), according to a new study.
In general, taking too much vitamin D can be dangerous.
However, the high doses of the new test were taken under controlled conditions, under the supervision of medical personnel and by patients for whom it was considered safe, on the sidelines of a study recently in Jama.
A EM is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the brain and the spinal cord.
In patients with this disease, immunity cells wrongly attack the protective layer that surrounds nerve fibers, causing lesions or scar tissue. This leads to symptoms such as muscle weakness, vision changes, numbness and memory problems.
There is no cure for EM. Existing medications can help patients manage symptoms, but may have unpleasant side effects, such as increasing risk of infections and gastrointestinal problems.
Past studies had already suggested that the vitamin D deficiency It is a potential factor of risk to Em. This is because, as explained, vitamin D can reduce inflammation in the central nervous system in various ways – for example, inhibiting the release of chemical messengers from immunity cells that trigger inflammatory responses.
The theory is that having vitamin D may allow the appearance of a uncontrolled inflammation.
Since the 1960s, several clinical trials have tried and failed to demonstrate that it takes high doses of vitamin D can help reduce patients’ symptoms or disease progression.
Until the new study appeared with a different approach.
The approximately 303 patients of this rehearsal have not yet begun to take other medications for multiple sclerosis, so it was directly perceived the impact of vitamin D supplements on disease progression.
During the rehearsal, the team randomly designated 156 of the patients to take a High dose of a vitamin D form called colecalciferol.
They took the supplement once in two weeks for two years, or even show signs of symptoms of EM or new injuries or growing during medical appointments.
If the disease was detected, patients would be removed from the test and would immediately be prescribed drugs modifying the disease, ie medications that alleviate the symptoms to aim at the deep causes of EM.
A comparison group of 147 patients was subjected to the same protocol, but took a fictional medicine instead of vitamin D.
The dose that the vitamin D group received was 100,000 international units, which is about 20 times more than common pharmacy supplements contain dose.
Vitamin D delayed multiple sclerosis
Researchers found that disease activity occurred in 60% of the vitamin D group during the two -year period of the study compared to 74% of the placebo group.
The time required for the appearance of symptoms was also significantly longer in the first group than in the second – about 432 days, compared to 224 days.
As a whole, these results suggest that the early take on high doses of vitamin D can help slow multiple sclerosis.
Many doctors recommend that patients with multiple sclerosis take between 4,000 and 5,000 international vitamin D units per day. But more than this can cause a condition called hypercalcemiain which much calcium accumulates in the body. Hypercalcemia can weaken bones and potentially lead to Renal and Cardiac lesions.
Still, despite being above the recommended limit, No one in the new essay that received vitamin D developed hypercalcemia. This indicates that this high dose can be safe in the treatment of the disease.
