Statins or sunshine?

Multiple Sclerosis

One surprising finding was that ". . . simvastatin has been used successfully to treat patients with multiple sclerosis."[1]

This is another case where lowering cholesterol plays no part in the treatment.

It is known that vitamin D prevents MS. For example, "Multiple sclerosis shows a latitude gradient in Europe, with the world's highest incidence reported in Scotland,"[2] according to work conducted in the 1970s.

So, here again, we have the statin working as a surrogate for vitamin D.[3] And as in the other cases, exposure to sunlight would do the same job, more safely, more cheaply, and without the statin's side effects.



References
1. Vollmer T, Key L, Durkalski V, et al. Oral simvastatin treatment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. Lancet 2004; 363: 1607-08.
2. Kurtzke JF. A reassessment of the distribution of multiple sclerosis. Acta Neurologica Scand 1975; 51: 137-57.

3. Grimes DS. Are statins analogues of vitamin D? Lancet 2006; 368: 83-86


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