High Doses of Vitamin D for Treating Multiple Sclerosis

Vitamin D deficiency is an already known risk factor to developing MS -> but could vitamin D be used as a treatment? A study led by Eric Thouvenot seeks to answer this question by administering oral doses of vitamin D (cholecalciferol) at 100,000 IU to patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), which often marks the earliest stage of MS. Trials were investigated with 316 patients who were randomized to either the placebo group or the group receiving the treatment every 2 weeks for a 2-year period. 

Results indicated that patients who received high doses of vitamin D had less frequent episodes of symptoms compared to the placebo group. In addition, there was also less MRI activity and lesions in the brain associated with the patients taking high doses of vitamin D over the 2-year period. However, patients who benefited most from treatment were patients with extreme vitamin deficiency and who did not have any spinal cord lesions, suggesting that more research needs to be conducted to understand vitamin D and its role in therapy for MS.

Natural ways to obtain vitamin D to reduce the risk of MS.

References: Thouvenot, E., Laplaud, D., Lebrun-Frenay, C., Derache, N., Le Page, E., Maillart, E., Froment-Tilikete, C., Castelnovo, G., Casez, O., Coustans, M., Guennoc, A.-M., Heinzlef, O., Magy, L., Nifle, C., Ayrignac, X., Fromont, A., Gaillard, N., Caucheteux, N., Patry, I., … Rival, M. (2025). High-Dose Vitamin D in Clinically Isolated Syndrome Typical of Multiple Sclerosis: The D-Lay MS Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA : The Journal of the American Medical Association, 333(16), 1413-. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2025.1604

Image References: Cleveland Clinic Health Essentials

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