Vitamin D Deficiency Ups Risk of Multiple Sclerosis, Arthritis, Diabetes, and Cancers

Just about the only time most of us notice vitamin D is when we see it on a milk cartoon and even then we’re oblivious to it, but growing research says that maybe we shouldn’t be.

A study published earlier this week in Genome Research has mapped out the points where vitamin D interacts with our DNA. It also looked at how a deficiency of the vitamin in the body can increase the risk of a number of chronic conditions and illnesses.

  

Deficiencies in vitamin D can contribute to lower insulin production, which can exacerbate type-1 diabetes, sometimes called juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes. This is a chronic condition where the pancreas produces little or no insulin.

Overall, vitamin D works in several ways. Dr. Allen C. Bowling, a neurologist at the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center, said, “It’s well known that vitamin D works to promote calcium absorption (which is why it’s in milk) for strong bones. However, recent research also suggests that vitamin D may have important effects on the immune system, and may help regulate cell growth and differentiation.

“In studies of immune cells, vitamin D shows anti-inflammatory effects. Additionally, a prior large ten-year study found that women who took vitamin D supplements were 40% less likely to multiple sclerosis.”

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Overturning Traditional Wisdom - Exercise Now Shown to Slowdown Multiple Sclerosis

We all know some of the obvious benefits of exercise - lowering blood pressure, cardiovascular health, losing weight, and improving your mood - but now studies are showing that exercise can do even more. It’s been recently found that exercise can slow down the progression of multiple sclerosis.

The degenerative disease damages the brain and spinal cord, causing effects including: loss of muscle control, vision, balance, sensations, and cognitive abilities.

It’s unknown what causes MS, but genetics is one common factor. MS is an autoimmune disease, which means that the nerves of the brain and spinal cord are damaged by a person’s own immune system.

The two most common forms of the disease, according to WebMD, are:

• Relapsing-remitting MS: characterized by unpredictable acute attacks, called ‘exacerbations,’ with worsening symptoms, followed by full, partial, or no recovery of some function. These attacks can evolve over several days to weeks. Recovery from an attack can take weeks and sometimes months. In most people, this pattern usually occurs early in the course of MS.
• Primary-progressive MS: characterized by a gradual but steady progression of disability, without any obvious relapses and remissions. This form of disease occurs in just 15% of all people with MS, but it is the most common type of MS in people who develop the disease after the age of 40.

To understand exactly how exercise helps slow down the progression of MS, first you have to understand a little bit more about how the disease works.

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