We know that dairy products are a healthy source of many nutrients, including Vitamin D. A new research study now shows a link between levels of Vitamin D and a lower risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). While researchers are still being conservative in their recommendations, this study has been a positive media story for the dairy industry.
A study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health offers some of the strongest evidence yet that people with higher levels of vitamin D in their blood were at lower risk for later developing the disease. Researchers found that among white people, the risk for multiple sclerosis was lowest among those with the highest vitamin D levels, and highest for those with the lowest vitamin D levels. Among black people, who researchers say have a naturally lower level of vitamin D in their blood because of the pigment in their skin, no significant associations between vitamin D and multiple sclerosis risk were found.
“We established with a certain degree of confidence that people with high vitamin D levels have a lower risk of developing MS. What we don’t know for sure if increasing their vitamin D levels will actually prevent MS,” said study author Dr. Alberto Ascherio of the Harvard School of Public Health.
Vitamin D is unique. The fat-soluble vitamin is found naturally in foods such as milk, cheese, fish and fortified juices and cereals. It can also be produced in the body by exposure to sunlight. More is not better: The Institute of Medicine warns that excessive intake of supplemental vitamin D can have serious, toxic effects on the body, including excessive calcium levels in the blood, high blood pressure, nausea, poor appetite, weakness, constipation, impaired kidney function and kidney damage.