I was born on my due date— October 3, 1998 in Colorado, USA but my mama grew up all over the world from Mexico, Italy to the US. I grew up between the US (Virginia and Colorado) and then Italy (Abruzzo and Emilia Romagna).
I don't think this north-south thing is about vitamin d. I'm afraid it's not going anywhere.
Maybe it's about the low temperatures and the stability of certain viruses in the cooler regions. Those would have to be found. Is anyone doing research in this direction?
This is very interesting to me as my mother was pregnant with me whilst living in the Far East (Thailand) in the late 1970's and she would have had a lot of access to vitamin D whilst I was in the womb. I also subsequently grew up in South East Asia/Africa and would have had a lot of exposure to vitamin D myself growing up...so I guess I can't blame my mother for this :)
However, I have been taking 10,000 IU of Vitamin D since diagnosis and I am definitely in good health (possibly as a result of this)...
I can quite understand about mother not having enough vitamin d for me but as I am at when that is no identical. Surely my twin would feel the same way. I'm unsure as to why I inherited multiple sclerosis but my twin didn't. Our births are in November. I am the child who has run four marathons whilst having MS. My twin hasn't. I don't know why?
5000 IU a day for 6 months brought me from 30 to 75, 1.65 m 75 kg male. Maybe higher fixed dose is a bit too much. When I decreased to 1000 per day vD value decreased to 30 in 6 months so now I am staying at 2000 and see
I wonder if anybody from the Southern hemisphere has done the same work, because it should be exactly the same line, phase shifted by 6 months due to the earth’s tilt.
Nov 26, 2022·edited Nov 26, 2022Liked by Gavin Giovannoni
I find it amazing that the Vitamin D - equator - MS hypothesis link is repeatedly reported as fact. A few years ago I got a world map of MS incidence and drew the equator on it, based on the MS incidence. The picture produced had a very wavy line which was nothing like the real equator. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22767435/ proposed an alternative explanation that seems to have been overlooked.
The graph presented has a terrible y-axis which over-represents the influence of month of birth on likelihood of developing MS. On careful inspection it’s +/- 8%, almost a straight line if the y-axis started at 0.
The rule of thumb is that if your shadow is longer than you are tall, your skin produces no vitamin D in the sun. The half life is 15 days, so weekly doses of vitamin D3 should be as effective as daily dosing and by January, everybody living in the UK, who doesn’t orally supplement, will be Vitamin D deficient.
I am an anomaly. Born in early 50s in mid-Dec in the American southwest, I had a childhood anemia. My father, son of Italian immigrants, by the age of 12 had witnessed two siblings die in NYC and his father’s meltdown after. (So, go west young man…) Therefore, I was kept in the house (literally) for most of my young years until school at 5 years old. No vit C, no E, lots of allergies, allergic to milk etc. Lots of autoimmune disorders later. (Did other p/MS have parents that sprayed nasty chemicals in the house if their kids were allergic to mosquitoes?! I look back and cringe!) All that said, I have two children born in October in Northern California. Both have between them an array of autoimmune diseases. Crohn’s, allergies, asthma, eczema, migraine. (Both were exactly two weeks late. Born 12 hours apart, 5 yrs between them. Due dates were a day even a apart! That’s nature for you.)
I think vitamin D is a BIG deal though. I don’t know why here (states) we don’t use vit D shots more. Or even test more!
My vitamin D was really low and even "recommended" doses didn't help me much. I'm taking much higher doses now (with low calcium diet and regular lab tests to be safe) but without monitoring I'd feel safe taking 10.000IU daily.
I was born in October in the West of Scotland in the 1970's, I already knew that being born in Scotland and being female and having members of my mother's family with MS put me at a higher risk of developing MS but I only started looking into this after my own MS diagnosis 8 years ago, I just put it down to bad luck and having had glandular fever in my twenties.
Interesting reading Prof G, thank you for sharing this, always learning about my MS.
(though I was told my birth mother had worked in Canada, I'm not sure when so it's possible I was there in utero I guess. I thought that was actually before my brother was born though - we share a birth mother)
March 1980, Vitamine D 89.3 ng/mL last month and my current DMT is Aubagio.
My hope is to take remyelinating drugs before it's too late. Dear Prof G. in your opinion if the axons are dead, myelin sheats damaged, do you think PwMS whom have spinal lesions can recover their function, for i.e. no more numbness on hands, trembling, sensitivity to touch in the fingertips, accuracy using them, etc.?
May. 1957. Blackburn. Pre smokeless zones. Mum worked in factories. Doomed ;-}
I was born on my due date— October 3, 1998 in Colorado, USA but my mama grew up all over the world from Mexico, Italy to the US. I grew up between the US (Virginia and Colorado) and then Italy (Abruzzo and Emilia Romagna).
I’ve always wondered about this. I was born in May 1973 in Scotland. I grew up in a flat with no garden and my dad was a chain smoker.
What chance did I have?
Although my sister is fine.
I also have red hair and pale skin and often wondered if that is another factor as I burn in the heat so have to be careful in the sun. Double doomed?
My sister does not have red hair and she is fine and was born in April.
I don't think this north-south thing is about vitamin d. I'm afraid it's not going anywhere.
Maybe it's about the low temperatures and the stability of certain viruses in the cooler regions. Those would have to be found. Is anyone doing research in this direction?
This is very interesting to me as my mother was pregnant with me whilst living in the Far East (Thailand) in the late 1970's and she would have had a lot of access to vitamin D whilst I was in the womb. I also subsequently grew up in South East Asia/Africa and would have had a lot of exposure to vitamin D myself growing up...so I guess I can't blame my mother for this :)
However, I have been taking 10,000 IU of Vitamin D since diagnosis and I am definitely in good health (possibly as a result of this)...
I can quite understand about mother not having enough vitamin d for me but as I am at when that is no identical. Surely my twin would feel the same way. I'm unsure as to why I inherited multiple sclerosis but my twin didn't. Our births are in November. I am the child who has run four marathons whilst having MS. My twin hasn't. I don't know why?
Victoria Levitt
5000 IU a day for 6 months brought me from 30 to 75, 1.65 m 75 kg male. Maybe higher fixed dose is a bit too much. When I decreased to 1000 per day vD value decreased to 30 in 6 months so now I am staying at 2000 and see
I wonder if anybody from the Southern hemisphere has done the same work, because it should be exactly the same line, phase shifted by 6 months due to the earth’s tilt.
I find it amazing that the Vitamin D - equator - MS hypothesis link is repeatedly reported as fact. A few years ago I got a world map of MS incidence and drew the equator on it, based on the MS incidence. The picture produced had a very wavy line which was nothing like the real equator. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22767435/ proposed an alternative explanation that seems to have been overlooked.
The graph presented has a terrible y-axis which over-represents the influence of month of birth on likelihood of developing MS. On careful inspection it’s +/- 8%, almost a straight line if the y-axis started at 0.
The rule of thumb is that if your shadow is longer than you are tall, your skin produces no vitamin D in the sun. The half life is 15 days, so weekly doses of vitamin D3 should be as effective as daily dosing and by January, everybody living in the UK, who doesn’t orally supplement, will be Vitamin D deficient.
November baby here. I had low vitamin D when diagnosed. Taking 5000 IU daily.
I am an anomaly. Born in early 50s in mid-Dec in the American southwest, I had a childhood anemia. My father, son of Italian immigrants, by the age of 12 had witnessed two siblings die in NYC and his father’s meltdown after. (So, go west young man…) Therefore, I was kept in the house (literally) for most of my young years until school at 5 years old. No vit C, no E, lots of allergies, allergic to milk etc. Lots of autoimmune disorders later. (Did other p/MS have parents that sprayed nasty chemicals in the house if their kids were allergic to mosquitoes?! I look back and cringe!) All that said, I have two children born in October in Northern California. Both have between them an array of autoimmune diseases. Crohn’s, allergies, asthma, eczema, migraine. (Both were exactly two weeks late. Born 12 hours apart, 5 yrs between them. Due dates were a day even a apart! That’s nature for you.)
I think vitamin D is a BIG deal though. I don’t know why here (states) we don’t use vit D shots more. Or even test more!
My vitamin D was really low and even "recommended" doses didn't help me much. I'm taking much higher doses now (with low calcium diet and regular lab tests to be safe) but without monitoring I'd feel safe taking 10.000IU daily.
I was born in October in the West of Scotland in the 1970's, I already knew that being born in Scotland and being female and having members of my mother's family with MS put me at a higher risk of developing MS but I only started looking into this after my own MS diagnosis 8 years ago, I just put it down to bad luck and having had glandular fever in my twenties.
Interesting reading Prof G, thank you for sharing this, always learning about my MS.
Karen
I was born in May, in the Southern hemisphere....
(though I was told my birth mother had worked in Canada, I'm not sure when so it's possible I was there in utero I guess. I thought that was actually before my brother was born though - we share a birth mother)
March 1980, Vitamine D 89.3 ng/mL last month and my current DMT is Aubagio.
My hope is to take remyelinating drugs before it's too late. Dear Prof G. in your opinion if the axons are dead, myelin sheats damaged, do you think PwMS whom have spinal lesions can recover their function, for i.e. no more numbness on hands, trembling, sensitivity to touch in the fingertips, accuracy using them, etc.?
October in England. I was born exactly a month early, which may not be a factor with my MS, but with my autism the doctor asked about that.
I can get high dose vitamin D and calcium on prescription (for my bones), but it makes my permanent nausea worse, so I buy it in a gentler form.