Yesterday, I told you about a new observational study on multiple sclerosis (MS).
It found that where you live—and how much time you spend in the sun—plays a key role in the disease’s development.
And now, another study found that TWO KEY SUPPLEMENTS can help ward off not just MS…but other autoimmune disorders, too.
I’ll tell you all about that important study in a moment (and why I always recommend the two supplements as part of your daily regimen).
But first, let’s back up to consider why we don’t know more today about these types of brutal and baffling disorders…
Funding ripped away
There are about 80 different autoimmune disorders—including MS, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, Type I diabetes, and lupus.
They can range in severity from mild to completely disabling. And they occur when the body’s immune system turns on itself and attacks its own tissues.
More than 24 million Americans suffer from these disorders. And they’re one of the top-10 causes of death among women under 65 years.
Worst of all, we still know very little about what causes (or how to treat) them. In fact, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) had entire hospital wards devoted to research into autoimmune diseases in the early 1980s.
But the government abruptly shut down this important research to shuttle funding elsewhere.
More specifically, to Dr. Anthony Fauci and his “crash program” into AIDS/HIV. (The irony is that health authorities knew, even back then, exactly how to prevent AIDS/HIV. But mainstream medicine still doesn’t know how to properly prevent and treat autoimmune diseases! Making the decision all the more tragic.)
Now, let’s move on to discuss the new study that finally gives some much-needed attention to the problem…
Some real progress…nearly 40 years later!
For this new, large-scale study, researchers with Brigham and Women’s Hospital looked at the effect of vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on autoimmune incidence in more than 25,000 middle-aged men and women.
Of course, they chose to study these two supplements for two very good reasons…
First, as I explained yesterday, your body produces vitamin D upon exposure to strong sunlight. And we know that more sun exposure not only reduces your risk of MS…it also lessens the severity of symptoms, should you get it.
Second, both vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids (as found in fish oil) reduce chronic inflammation—a key factor in the development of autoimmune disorders.
So, to start, the researchers randomly assigned the participants to one of four daily supplement groups:
- 50 mcg (2,000 IU) of vitamin D with 1,000 mg omega-3 fatty acids
- 50 mcg (2,000 IU) of vitamin D with placebo
- 1,000 mg of omega-3 fatty acids with placebo
- Placebo only
Then, the researchers followed the participants for about five years. But it didn’t take that long for the benefits to start to reveal themselves…
In fact, the data showed that people taking vitamin D and fish oil (or vitamin D all by itself) started reaping the protective benefits after just two years! And after the full five years, the people who took vitamin D and fish oil (or vitamin D by itself) had a 22 percent lower incidence of autoimmune diseases than those who took a placebo.
And that’s quite remarkable…
Because we’re not just talking about a lower risk here. We’re talking about almost a third fewer actual cases among this group of people!
“The clinical importance of these findings is high, given that these are well tolerated, nontoxic supplements and that there are no other effective therapies to reduce the incidence of autoimmune diseases,” said Dr. Karen Costenbader, one of the study’s lead authors.
Dr. Costenbader also explained that vitamin D acts like a hormone in the body and helps balance immune system function.
That’s great news! But my only real frustration is that we should have had the results of this study 40 years ago…before the NIH wiped out all the funding.
Increase your levels immediately
In the end, I recommend that EVERYONE aim to increase their blood levels of vitamin D and omega-3s through simple lifestyle choices. (Not just those concerned about autoimmune disorders.)
In fact, as I mentioned yesterday, spending more time in the sun without sunscreen will help increase your blood levels of D, specifically. (Spending 15 to 20 minutes in the sun each day will trigger your skin’s own natural production of vitamin D in most parts of the country between April and October!)
You can also eat plenty of foods high in vitamin D, including eggs, full-fat dairy, and mushrooms. (Fortunately, these foods all belong to the healthy, wholesome Mediterranean-type diet.) And supplement with 250 mcg (10,000 IU) of vitamin D3 daily, year-round.
When it comes to omega-3s, I first recommend enjoying wild-caught fatty fish, like salmon and sardines, often. I also recommend daily supplementation…but your daily dose depends entirely on how much fish you eat weekly. There’s no one-size-fits-all dosing.
So, check out the June 2018 issue of my Insiders’ Cures monthly newsletter (“Why I’m upping my recommendations for this ‘controversial’ supplement’”) to get personalized dosing recommendations. If you’re not yet a subscriber, now is the perfect time to become one.
The bottom line is, vitamin D and fish oil are hands-down two of the most important supplements you can take. Not only will they help you ward off these hard-to-treat autoimmune disorders…they also protect you against a slew of other chronic diseases.
For more background into these two versatile powerhouses for your health, just search my archives at www.DrMicozzi.com for hundreds of articles I’ve written about them over the past decade.
Source:
“Vitamin D and marine omega 3 fatty acid supplementation and incident autoimmune disease: VITAL randomized controlled trial.” BMJ 2022; 376:e066452. doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2021-066452