MS-Diet Support Group DIRECT-MS

BEST BET DIET BOOK Scientific Papers

Part Two: The Evidence. Research in support of the Best Bet Diet
Vitamin D and Seasonal Fluctuations of Gadolinium-Enhancing Magnetic Resonance Imaging Lesions in Multiple Sclerosis.
Ashton F. Embry, Ph.D., Lloyd R. Snowdon, Ph.D. and Reinhold Vieth, Ph.D. Annals of Neurology, 2000, v. 48, p.271-272.
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Auer et al recently showed a striking, near sinusoidal annual variation in the number of active magnetic resonance imaging lesions in 53 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Their results provide solid support for past, less well documented claims of seasonal fluctuation in MS disease activity. Furthermore, the seasonal fluctuation in lesion activity may provide an important clue for identifying environmental factors which are part of MS etiology. Auer et al proposed that seasonal changes in the rate of common infections might partially explain the seasonal fluctuation in lesion activity. They noted that climatic factors such as temperature, amount of sunlight and UV light exposure might also be involved. We suggest that vitamin D supply, which fluctuates with seasonal UV light exposure, is the main environmental factor involved. Vitamin D and its metabolites have been implicated in MS etiology by epidemiological, experimental and immunological data . Moreover, circulating vitamin D also shows a near sinusoidal annual fluctuation at higher latitudes . To investigate a possible correspondence between the fluctuations in vitamin D intake and lesion activity, we compared published monthly D levels in 415 people, aged 50-80, from southern Germany with the data of Auer et al which were also collected in southern Germany (Figure). The curves fit both the D and lesion data significantly.
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