Vitamin D's link to MS, colorectal cancer

Multiple Sclerosis
Low vitamin D blood levels are associated with a significantly higher risk of relapse attacks in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who develop the disease during childhood, according to a study from the Annals of Neurology. Researchers demonstrate that an increase in vitamin D levels by 10 nanograms per milliliter of blood (ng/mL) corresponds with a 34 percent decrease in the rate of subsequent relapses. In other words, raising the vitamin D level of a person with MS by 15 ng/mL, which requires about 2,000 international units of vitamin D supplementation a day, could theoretically cut a patient's relapse rate in half.

Colorectal Cancer
Increased blood levels of vitamin D may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by as much as 40 per cent, says a British Medical Journal study with people from 10 European countries, the largest of its kind to date The EPIC data showed that blood levels of vitamin D below a mid-level of 50 to 75 nanomoles per litre were associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer, while blood levels above this were not associated with any additional benefits, said the researchers.