By Jimmy Downs

Wednesday Sept 12, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- A review study in Current Opinion in Neurology suggests that taking vitamin D supplements or getting lots of sun exposure may help prevent multiple sclerosis or prevent the disease from progressing.

Kelly C Simon and colleagues reviewed previous studies and found high 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] at the time of a first demyelinating event was correlated with a lower risk for multiple sclerosis and children born to mothers who had high vitamin D levels were less likely to develop multiple sclerosis.

One small vitamin D intervention study failed to find an association between vitamin D and multiple sclerosis progression. But the reviewers said that study had little statistical power, meaning whatever the small study found does not mean anything and larger trials will be needed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of vitamin D.

Recent immunological studies also suggest the fact that vitamin D modulates the immune system may indicate that it can prevent or slow the progression of multiple sclerosis or say vitamin D should have a therapeutic effect against the disease.

Additionally, rare variants in CYP27B1, which encodes an enzyme that converts vitamin D into its active form, are strongly correlated with multiple sclerosis risk, a piece of evidence suggesting that vitamin D deficiency may be the cause for multiple sclerosis.

The researchers concluded "Research on the nature of the association between vitamin D and MS (multiple sclerosis) risk and progression continues to progress; however, additional research on the timing and dose–response relationship will be crucial for designing future prevention and treatment trials."

Multiple Sclerosis is  a nervous system disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. It damages the myelin sheath, the material that surrounds and protects nerve cells. This damage slows down or blocks signaling between the brain and your body, leading to the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

Multiple sclerosis symptoms include visual disturbances, muscle weakness, troubled coordination and balance, sensations such as numbness, prickling, or "pins and needles", and thinking and memory problems among others, according to National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.