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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A recent study suggests vitamin D could play a role in preventing multiple sclerosis. The NWT's chief medical officer, says it's just another reason, in many, for Northerners to maintain a healthy diet.

Vitamin supplements are just one of many ways Northerners can get enough vitamin D in their diets. With a recent study suggesting the vitamin could prevent multiple sclerosis, experts say there's even more reason to make sure you get enough. - Adam Johnson/NNSL photo

A study performed by Oxford and the University of British Columbia, published in a February issue of the PloS Genetics, shows that vitamin D seems to regulate a gene known to increase the risk of MS. The report's authors suggest taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy and early in life may help prevent the disease.

"It's been known for some time that vitamin D is an important modulator of the immune response, so the link with MS, if confirmed, would not come as a total surprise," said Andre Corriveau, outgoing chief medical officer of the NWT. He said people lacking vitamin D are more likely to develop tuberculosis, or even certain forms of cancer.

Vitamin D is produced naturally by the body in reaction to sunlight, and is also added to milk and other products. However, in a land where both sunlight and milk aren't always the easiest things to come by, Corriveau said it's important to seek out the vitamin in other sources.

"From some of the baseline nutrition studies in Nunavut and in the Beaufort Delta, there is an indication that people have sub-optimal levels of the vitamin," Corriveau said. "It has an effect on colorectal cancer, which we have high levels of in the North. I mean, no wonder we have homeless people wandering around with TB."

In a traditional diet, the vitamin is found in the organs of fish and game. While organ meats may not be a favourite of everyone, Corriveau said even frozen orange juice fortified with vitamin D and calcium is available.

"It's the same price," he said. "If it's always dark and you don't like organs, here is a way to get vitamin D."

MS affects more than 2.5 million people worldwide. The disease can trick the immune system into attacking nerve fibres in the brain and spinal cord, causing neurological damage. While some people feel little effect from the disease, up to 60 per cent of people with MS can no longer walk unaided 20 years after onset.

A 2008 international survey revealed Canada has some of the highest rates of MS in the world, along with the U.S., Germany, Norway and Hungary. An estimated 55,000 to 75,000 people are affected by the disease in Canada.

While the his department doesn't track the rate of MS in the NWT, Corriveau said the potential link is just another reminder about how vital diet is to health.

"In my opinion, it's not just about how (the vitamin) prevents MS," he said. "It's just one more piece of the puzzle in how important vitamin D is."