Author Topic: Could low vitamin D in pregnancy mean MS risk in offspring?  (Read 74 times)

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Offline agate

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Could low vitamin D in pregnancy mean MS risk in offspring?
« on: March 07, 2016, 04:08:54 pm »
From Medical News Today, March 7, 2016:

Quote
Could low vitamin D in pregnancy mean a risk of MS in offspring?


Written by Yvette Brazier

Children may be at greater risk of developing multiple sclerosis later in life if their mother lacked vitamin D in the early stages of pregnancy, according to research published online by JAMA Neurology.

...
Dr. Benjamin M. Greenberg, of the University of Texas, explains in a linked editorial that early theories linking MS to vitamin D deficiency noted that the disease is more prevalent in northern latitudes, where low vitamin D levels can result from a relative lack of sunlight.

The fact that northerly regions with lower rates of MS, such as Japan and Alaska, tend to have a national diet rich in sources of vitamin D supported the potential link, and this raised a case for further study.

Scientists have subsequently hypothesized that low vitamin D during critical growth periods could create "weak myelin," making damage more likely for people with MS.

Studies have produced conflicting results. Some have associated high levels of vitamin D with a lower prevalence of MS in adulthood, while others have suggested that vitamin D exposure in utero increases the risk. Two studies have indicated no relationship.

Prevalence 90% higher among those whose mothers lacked vitamin D

Kassandra L. Munger, of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, MA, and coauthors looked at the association between high levels of serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D - 25(OH)D, or vitamin D - in early pregnancy and the incidence of MS in children.

They identified 193 individuals with a diagnosis of MS, of whom 163 were female. The subjects' mothers were enrolled in the Finnish Maternity Cohort (FMC). The researchers compared 176 case patients with 326 control participants.

Maternal blood samples were collected to measure vitamin D levels, 70% of them taken during the first trimester. Average maternal vitamin D levels were in the "insufficient" vitamin D range, or 25(OH)D levels less than 12.02 ng/mL.

Results indicated a 90% higher risk of MS among children whose mothers who were vitamin-D deficient, compared with those whose mothers had adequate vitamin D.

Limitations of the study include the fact that measuring maternal vitamin D levels during pregnancy is not the same as measuring those to which the fetus is exposed.

The authors conclude:

"While our results suggest that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy increases MS risk in the offspring, our study does not provide any information as to whether there is a dose-response effect with increasing levels of 25(OH)D sufficiency. Similar studies in populations with a wider distribution of 25(OH)D are needed."

Dr. Greenberg comments that while the FMC was not originally intended as a resource for MS research, it provides "a powerful tool for understanding complex biology and disease."

The article can be seen here.
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SPMS, diagnosed 1980. Avonex 2001-2004. Copaxone 2007-2010. Glatopa (glatiramer acetate 40mg 3 times/week) since 12/16/20.

Offline agate

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From NEJM Journal Watch/Physician's First Watch, March 8, 2016:

Quote
Low Vitamin D in Pregnancy and Increased MS Risk in Offspring: New Study Supports Potential Link

By Amy Orciari Herman

Edited by David G. Fairchild, MD, MPH, and Jaye Elizabeth Hefner, MD

Markedly deficient vitamin D levels during pregnancy are associated with increased risk for multiple sclerosis in one's offspring, suggests a case-control study in JAMA Neurology.

Using the Finnish Maternity Cohort, researchers identified nearly 200 young adults with confirmed MS and over 300 unaffected controls. Serum samples from participants' mothers, collected during pregnancy, were assessed for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D).

The average maternal 25(OH)D level was considered insufficient in both groups, and was somewhat lower among case mothers than controls (13.86 vs. 15.02 ng/mL). In multivariable-adjusted analyses of a subset of participants matched for region and date of birth, "clearly deficient" maternal 25(OH)D levels (<12.02 ng/mL) were associated with a near doubling of risk for MS in offspring, compared with higher levels.

An editorialist discusses potential mechanisms, including the possibility that vitamin D deficiency during myelinogenesis could lead to "weak myelin" that is particularly susceptible to the damage seen in MS.

Dr. Robert Naismith of NEJM Journal Watch Neurology notes: "While it is too early to recommend vitamin D during pregnancy for the prevention of MS, some groups are advocating for the more routine use of vitamin D within a pregnant population for a variety of potential health benefits."
MS Speaks--online for 17 years

SPMS, diagnosed 1980. Avonex 2001-2004. Copaxone 2007-2010. Glatopa (glatiramer acetate 40mg 3 times/week) since 12/16/20.