Another take on Vitamin D and Autoimmune Disease

[Mazen]

Here is a new study on Vit D. It says that Vitamin D may exacerbate autoimmune disease; so we should be careful when supplementing with it

Deficiency in vitamin D has been widely regarded as contributing to autoimmune disease, but a review appearing in Autoimmunity Reviews explains that low levels of vitamin D in patients with autoimmune disease may be a result rather than a cause of disease and that supplementing with vitamin D may actually exacerbate autoimmune disease. Authored by a team of researchers at the California-based non-profit Autoimmunity Research Foundation, the paper goes on to point out that molecular biologists have long known that the form of vitamin D derived from food and supplements, 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-D), is a secosteroid rather than a vitamin. Like corticosteroid medications, vitamin D may provide short-term relief by lowering inflammation but may exacerbate disease symptoms over the long-term.

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/04/08/vitamin.d.may.exacerbate.autoimmune.disease

 

[fenway1971]

Crap. My D levels were quite deficient and every doc is telling me to supplement, so I am.

There is so much contradictory theories out there it drives me nuts.

 

[danman]

It's so strange that there is so much contradictory evidence going around.

About 14 years ago, I was told that I was anemic and to supplement with Iron. When I did, I went into one of the worst flares I've had.

Coincidence? I don't know, but I've never taken iron again.

 

[D Bergy]

This theory is pretty much put forward by one person, Trevor Marshall. I run across his vitamin D theory quite often as it pertains to Lyme Disease.

I am not sold on his interpretation, and neither are many other scientists and physicians. He could be right, but I do not see evidence of it in my wife's case and she has Lyme Disease. I also see no evidence from my own experience of supplementing D-3. I take a middle of the road approach in that my wife takes a normal dose of vitamin D-3 but does not take the 3,000 mg I take. I have not completely discounted his theory, but it is "up in the air" in my opinion.

His treatments involve complete avoidance of vitamin D-3. his patients even avoid sun exposure. He does have some success, but since he is using low dose antibiotics, it is hard to separate the work of the antibiotics from the vitamin D-3 avoidance.

The premise of his theory is that low vitamin D is the result of the disease and not the cause of it. The low D is the bodies way of protecting itself.

This is a good scientific theory that has not been satisfactorily proven in real life treatment from what I have gathered so far. It is something to watch for future developements.

Marshall is a smart man, and I respect the work he has done, but I think there may be more to this story that is yet unknown.

Dan

 

[D Bergy]

Iron is a very good oxidizer, which is what makes it so hard on the stomach. It is more a direct chemical reaction than anything else.

Cooking in a cast iron frying pan and eating high iron food is easier on the stomach.

Dan