Whole-Body Cryotherapy Affects Blood Vitamin D Levels in People with Multiple Sclerosis

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate and evaluate the effect of a series of 20 whole-body cryotherapy (WBC) treatments on the level of vitamin D in the blood of women with multiple sclerosis and healthy women. Methods: This study involved three participant groups. The experimental group included 15 women, aged 34 to 55 years and diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), who received whole-body cryotherapy. The first control group comprised 20 women with MS who did not undergo cryotherapy. The second control group consisted of 15 women, aged 30 to 49 years, who did not have neurological or chronic conditions and who also participated in whole-body cryotherapy. Venous blood samples were taken from all participants at two points: on the first day of cryotherapy and after completing 20 sessions. These samples were analyzed to evaluate their key parameters and assess the differences between the groups. The electrochemiluminescence (ELISA) technique was employed using the 25(OH)D (total) competitive assay, which is designed to measure vitamin D concentration [ng/mL] in the human body. Results: In women with MS, a significant increase in vitamin D levels was observed after the use of WBC (CRYO-MS), while in healthy women the increase was statistically insignificant after WBC (CONTROL-CRYO). Conclusions: After 20 whole-body cryotherapy sessions, an increase in vitamin D levels was observed in women with multiple sclerosis. A trend towards an increase in vitamin D levels was observed in healthy women after WBC.