Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis.
The hypothesis that adequate vitamin D nutrition can contribute to the prevention of multiple sclerosis (MS) was originally proposed to explain the geographical distribution of MS, but only recently has the relation between various measures of vitamin D (eg, sun exposure, dietary sources, and serum concentrations of 25-hydroxyvitamin D) and risk of developing MS been rigorously investigated. Overall, the results of these studies support a protective effect of vitamin D, but there are uncertainties and many unanswered questions, including how vitamin D exerts a protective effect, how genetic variations modify the effect, and whether vitamin D can influence the course of MS progression.
Ascherio
Alberto
A
Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. aascheri@hsph.harvard.edu
Munger
Kassandra L
KL
Simon
K Claire
KC
D000818:Animals; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014807:Vitamin D / Q000378:metabolism*; D014808:Vitamin D Deficiency / Q000453:epidemiology
D014807:Vitamin D