December 2015
https://www.arthritistreatmentcenter.com
Vitamin D… what’s the real scoop when it comes to arthritis… next
Vitamin D As Treatment for Rheumatoid Arthritis
Deborah Mitchell writing in EMax Health reported a high dose of vitamin D taken by people who have rheumatoid arthritis and vitamin D deficiency can result in a significant improvement in their symptoms within a short time. That’s the consensus of a new study published in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.
The randomized, open-label study involved 150 adults who with rheumatoid arthritis who had been taking disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for a mean of more than three years. At the beginning of the study, nearly half (49%, 73 individuals) were found to be deficient in vitamin D. The participants were given 60,000 IU vitamin D per week for six weeks, followed by 60,000 IU per month for a total duration of three months. Investigators evaluated vitamin D levels and disease activity among 59 (80.8%) of the vitamin D deficient patients who completed the 12 weeks of treatment and observed the following:
• Significant improvement in disease activity score
• Significant improvement in serum vitamin D levels from a mean of 10.05 ng/mL to 57.21 ng/mL.
