Attention women out there! Vitamin D deficiency may escalate risk of multiple sclerosis: Study

Vitamin D is considered as one of the most important nutrients for our bone health. It is known as the 'sunshine vitamin' because it is produced in the skin when it comes in contact with sunlight. 

According to a new study, low levels of Vitamin D may create health problems, escalating the risk of developing  multiple sclerosis in females. 

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is very harmful for the body as it affects the ability of the nervous system parts to communicate. This results in a range of symptoms and signs and can cause mental, physical and sometimes even psychiatric problems. 

The study has been published in American Academy of Neurology Medical Journal. It states that examining the vitamin D levels in human body may be useful in predicting if a person faces the risk of developing multiple sclerosis. 

The study was conducted on a larger number of women and suggested that improving the vitamin D deficiency can help reduce the risk of  multiple sclerosis in young and middle-aged women.

The team of researchers undertook the study by using the repository of blood samples from over 8,00,000 women in Finland. The samples were taken as part of the prenatal testing. 

As a matter of fact, 1,092 women who developed multiple sclerosis for about nine years after they gave their blood samples, were identified by researchers . The team then compared them with 2,123 women who were not diagnosed with the disease. 

The team defined deficient levels of vitamin D as fewer than 30 nanomoles per ltr, whereas insufficient levels were marked as 30 to 49 nmol/L. Adequate levels of vitamin D were marked as 50 nmol/L or higher. 

It was found out that 58 per cent of the women who developed the disease has deficient levels of vitamin D, when compared to 52 per cent who did not develop the same.