Vitamin supplements may help multiple sclerosis

Saturday Jan 23, 2010 (foodconsumer.org) --The Food and Drug Administration on Jan 22 said it has approved Ampyra, an experimental drug made by Acorda Therapeutics, to improve walking ability for those afflicted with multiple sclerosis.

Ampyra can induce side effects, including seizures, urinary tract infections and a wide spectrum of other adverse effects, even though it can increase walking speed by about 10 to 30 percent in patients with MS.

Luckily, drugs are not the only substances that help MS patients.  A study in the Aug 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition suggests that taking vitamin supplements may also help people with the disease.

G. S. Ramsaransing from University of Groningen in Groningen, The Netherlands and colleagues measured the dietary intake of 23 nutrients and vitamins in 80 patients with primary progressive, secondary progressive and benign multiple sclerosis, based on a food diary kept over a period of 14 days.

They found those with the secondary progressive MS had lower intake of magnesium, calcium and iron, compared to the other MS patients.

MS patients also had lower intakes of folate, magnesium and copper, and lower energy intake when compared to the Dutch population.  Additionally, in comparison to the daily recommended allowance, the MS patients had lower intake of folic acid, magnesium, zinc and selenium.

Reporting by Jimmy Downs and editing by Rachel Stockton