Research: Vitamin D supplementation

Epub: Allen et al. A pilot study of the immunological effects of high-dose vitamin D in healthy volunteers. Mult Scler. 2012 Mar 28.

Although vitamin D deficiency is considered an environmental factor in MS, the immunological and clinical effects of vitamin D supplementation remain unclear. We performed a pilot study of the immunomodulatory effects of vitamin D in healthy individuals (n=4), who took 5000-10,000 IU/day of vitamin D over 15 weeks. After 15 weeks of vitamin D supplementation, serum 25(OH) vitamin D levels rose significantly from baseline, with a corresponding increase in IL-10 production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells and a reduced frequency of Th17 cells. These data provide a strong rationale for randomised trials to assess the clinical effects of vitamin D supplementation in MS.


"After 15 weeks of supplementation vitamin D levels rose, well I hope so otherwise there would be zero point. Interleukin-10 an immunomodulatory cytokine (immune messenger that cells use to communicate we each other) was reduced as was Th17 cells, which are a type of white blood cell thought to mediate autoimmunity. While these changes may be in the right direction an analysis of FOUR people is too low to be meaningful. It could all have occurred by chance and is not good science; generally these studies need to be done on ~15-20 people. 

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