Baltimore—High doses of vitamin D3 appear to help multiple sclerosis patients regulate their hyperactive immune response without significant safety concerns, according to a new study published online by the journal Neurology. For the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine research, 40 patients with relapsing-remitting MS received either 10,400 international units or 800 international units of vitamin D3 supplements per day for 6 months. Results indicate a reduction in the percentage of inflammatory T cells related to MS severity, specifically IL-17+CD4+ and CD161+CD4+ cells in the group taking the higher dosages; the low-dose group had no noticeable changes in the percentages of T cell subsets. Researchers suggested a vitamin D range of 40 to 60 ng/mL as a target.

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