D-feat multiple sclerosis - Goodnews: essential natural health news - Brief Article

Vitamin D might help in the fight to prevent multiple sclerosis (MS) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), according to two new studies.

One study analyzed data previously collected on 187,000 nurses. Those getting the most vitamin D from supplements--400 international units (IU) or more a day--were 40 percent less likely to develop MS than those who took no supplements. Nurses receiving their vitamin D from food alone did not lower their risk of MS.

The study was performed by scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard Medical School and the University of California at Irvine, and it was published in the January 2004 issue of Neurology.

The second study, released January 9, 2004, in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism, concluded vitamin D may help prevent rheumatoid arthritis. Using data previously compiled on 29,000 women, researchers found those with the highest D intake had the lowest incidence of this crippling affliction.

You can get 100 IU of vitamin D from an 8-ounce glass of fortified milk, 425 IU from a 3-ounce serving of salmon and 200-400 IU from a multivitamin. Cod liver oil holds 1,360 IU of vitamin D per tablespoon.

The body also makes vitamin D during exposure to sunlight, which might explain why MS and RA occur more often in northern areas where there

is less sunlight year-round.

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