Now more than ever the public has been focused on optimizing their health through better diet, more exercise, utilizing AI to answer questions and gain guidance, taking vitamins and supplements, and yes, even following some well-intentioned but misguided advice on vaccines. But all of these attempts need to be performed in an educated manner, keeping you safe from harm.
Over 50% of Americans take some form of dietary supplement and many report they feel better on them, patients may be doing themselves harm, either through excessive doses that make the vitamins toxic (more is not always better) or through drug interactions that are either known or yet to be identified.
A healthy diet should supply people with a sufficient amount of vitamins and minerals. According to the NIH, not much evidence supports taking supplements to improve overall health. Restoring healthy levels of vitamins in vitamin-deficient people may be warranted but should be done under the direction of your physician.
Patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) have good reasons to believe that vitamins and supplements will help their disease and their quality of life. First, developing MS is the result of an inflammatory condition. Some vitamins have been shown to reduce inflammation and improve some common MS symptoms such as fatigue and cognitive function. Second, there is the proven link between low Vitamin D levels and high incidence of developing MS. Third, patients with MS have not only been shown to have lower amounts of Vitamn D3 than the general population, they also have lower amounts of Vitamin A and B12.
Most study has been focused on Vitamin D supplementation in MS patients but the results have not been clear-cut. Vitamin D is produced by the body when it is exposed to sunlight (Vitamin D is also found in foods such as fatty fish and egg yolks), hence the suggestion of greater incidences of MS in Northern Hemispheres which are furthest from the equator. While some studies support the link of greater risk of developing MS and suffering worse MS symptoms, other double-blind, placebo controlled studies studying the benefits of Vitamin D supplementation and in which neither the researchers or the subjects know who is getting the actual treatment, the benefit is less apparent.
Vitamin D may be suggested for MS patients for reasons other than management of the disease and symptoms itself, such as supporting bone health as Vitamin D is necessary for calcium absorption. This is especially important in MS patients who may have increased risk of bone fracture due to heightened fall risk and frequent use of steroids. Further, some studies suggest that vitamin D deficiency might be linked to increased rates of depression.
Yet, any vitamin or supplement that helps the nervous system may cause adverse side effects on the nervous system and potentially may interact medications taken to benefit the nervous system. Studies have shown some vitamins and minerals which boost the immune system interfere with the immunosuppressive and immune-modulating drugs employed to reduce MS disease activity. Caution should be taken when considering high-dose supplementation with Vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, biotin, folic acid, Selenium, Zinc, Magnesium, Copper and Manganese because of potential interference with treatment.
Besides interfering with treatments, there are other unpleasant or dangerous side effects from high-dose supplementation. For example, Vitamin A can cause birth defects in pregnant women, Vitamin C can cause diarrhea or kidney damage, B6 can cause tingling, pain or numbness, Iron can cause constipation, abdominal , and pain and vomiting, Zinc can lead to copper deficiency, and too much Calcium can cause kidney stones.
One major drawback of taking vitamins and other supplements is that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not have a significant role in regulating vitamins and other supplements sold in the U.S. Vitamins and minerals do not undergo the strict and extensive safety and efficacy trials that prescription drugs must undergo before becoming available to the public. Further, there are additives and fillers added to the supplements that are not regulated.
With the great desire to maintain and improve their health, the NIH report that Americans are spending more than $20 billion a year on vitamins and supplements-without proven benefit or safety.
BeCare MS App can help by tracking your symptoms and your neurologic health when you do start taking vitamins and supplements. Further, the BeCare Link AI assistant can give you answers to many of your questions about specific vitamins and supplements which can help promote a healthy discussion with your treating physician. Become empowered. Be a driver in your own MS journey.