The researchers at Harvard School of Public Health had found out that the intake of vitamin D might reduce the risk of having multiple sclerosis (MS) in women. The study said that women who took a vitamin D supplement had a 40% less chance of developing MS than the ones who did not take any such supplements.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic neurological disease of the central nervous system. There is no cure for this disease but modern day treatment may slow the course of development or give relief from some of the symptoms of this disease.The Harvard study had looked into the dietary information of more than 185000 women from Nurses’ Health Study and Nurses’ Health Study II. The participants had filled up a questionnaire very four years from 1980 to 1999 that looked into all dietary information, especially their vitamin D intake. When compared with women who did not take the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin D, those who took the highest levels of vitamin intake through vitamin supplements (400 IU per day or more) showed a reduced risk of developing multiple sclerosis. However, there was no association of taking vitamin D through food alone with the onset of the disease.
Reference : http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/press01122004a.html
