What’s the link between genes, MS and vitamin D? A newly published research has some insight.

The study that took place at Oxford University, mapped the points of interaction between DNA and vitamin D. According to the results, 229 genes associated with a wide range of conditions are affected by vitamin D. Since many of these conditions are common in the northern hemisphere of the globe, researchers believe that the conditions and the early migration from Africa are linked. Since vitamin D is produced by the skin when it’s exposed to sunshine, it is believed that humans that migrated to the north have paler skins to compensate for the lower levels of sunlight.

According to these findings, boosting levels of Vitamin D can prevent people from developing the conditions. The Shine on Scotland campaign – fronted by a schoolboy whose mother is an MS sufferer – is trying to encourage the Scottish parliament to provide Vitamin D supplements to every child and pregnant woman, in an attempt to prevent these diseases.

The fact that vitamin D has a role in MS, is known and already researched – most studies focus on finding its role as a protective agent that works against the development of MS. However, up till today, only a limited number of studies on vitamin D treatment have been completed.