Last year, I wrote about a mouse study that suggested UVB exposure suppressed a model of multiple sclerosis (MS) independent of vitamin D production.  So I was excited to see media reports this week covering another study, this one epidemiological in nature, that supports this hypothesis. The study by Lucas and colleagues analyzed data from The Ausimmune Study, of 282 patients who have had a first diagnosis of CNS demyelination (FCD) and of these, 216 had a first demyelinating event (FDE) (note Read more [...]

Many studies have been done on the effect of vitamin D on reducing fall and fracture risk in elderly populations, which is important as these increase mortality risk for a number of reasons.  Though some have been positive, negative results are also common; a Cochrane review and meta-analysis do not support vitamin D per se for fracture reduction, but adding calcium seems to help.  It does seem to reduce falls, however.  It is a very complicated area and some populations may respond better than Read more [...]

Vitamin D is a hot topic lately, and many observational studies have linked it positively with a reduction in various disease risks.  However, we should be careful not to tout it as a panacea without large controlled studies and a deeper understanding of how it regulates various endogenous processes. A recent publication studying UV radiation exposure in a model of multiple sclerosis (1) is a prime example of how correlation can lead us astray, as it suggests that UVB, but not vitamin D at concentrations Read more [...]