By David Liu, PHD

Friday Dec 28, 2012 (foodconsumer.org) -- Taking high doses of vitamin D3 supplements can prevent vitamin D deficiency in multiple sclerosis patients in Winter, according to a new study in Journal of Neurology.

In winter, only 55% of multiple sclerosis patients were found in the trial to have sufficient levels of vitamin D in their blood, which is 50 nmol/L.

Vitamin D sufficiency is considered beneficial for patients with multiple sclerosis and may have a favorable effect on the outcome of the disease because vitamin D sufficiency has been linked to reduced risk of multiple sclerosis, according to the authors.

L. H. Steffensen from Department of Neurology, University Hospital of North Norway in Tromsø, Norway and colleagues conducted the small trial to see how vitamin D supplementation can help maintain sufficient serum levels of vitamin D throughout a year, particularly in winter.

In the trial, 68 patients with multiple sclerosis were given 20,000 IU of vitamin D3 weekly for 96 weeks.

At the baseline, half of patients had the sufficient serum level of vitamin D in Winter.  Vitamin D sufficiency was defined as having equal to or greater than 50 nmol/l in winter. 

Among patients with multiple sclerosis in the placebo group, 55% were found to have sufficient vitamin D in winter and 92% had sufficient levels of vitamin D in summer.  It is compared to 100% of all patients in the intervention group to have 25(OH)D levels in winter above 50 nmol/l at the end of this trial.

It should be recommended, the authors suggest, that multiple sclerosis patients who have no sun exposure and low dietary vitamin D intake in winter should take vitamin D supplements to maintain serum 25(OH)D levels of 50 nmol/l or higher.