Higher Sun Exposure Reduces Multiple Sclerosis Risk

  Scientists said high sun exposure may lower the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). A new study published online March 7 in ‘Neurology,’ the American Academy of Neurology’s journal, found people who grew up in sunnier climates were 55 per cent less likely to develop MS.

Similarly, the study from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, found women who had more sun exposure in their lifetime had a 55 per cent lower risk of MS Multiple studies in the past had linked MS to low levels of vitamin D from sun rays.

A growing body of research however suggested that identifying and correcting vitamin D deficiencies early could aid in early treatment of the disease. MS is a condition which can affect the brain and/or spinal cord, causing a wide range of potential symptoms, including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance.

It’s a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability, although it can occasionally be mild. The new study builds on previous research tying sun exposure on vitamin D levels to the debilitating disease for which there is no known cause or cure.

MS occurs twice as often in women than in men and people of Northern European descent have the highest risk, regardless of where they live, the ‘mailonline’ reported. MS wreaks havoc on the central nervous system causing weakness, pain and loss of motor control. According to the Multi-ple Sclerosis Foundation, northern states that are further from the equator and thus have less sun have double the rate of MS cases than southern states.

This was the first study to look at how differences in sun exposure duration and intensity throughout one’s lifetime are related to MS. Study author, Helen Tremblett, who has a PhD in pharmacoepidemiology, said: “We found that where a person lives and the ages at which they are exposed to the sun’s UV-B rays may play important roles in reducing the risk of MS.”

The study is based on data from 151 women with MS and 235 women of a similar age without MS. The participants represented a variety of climates and locations across the United States (US) and each filled out a survey about their summer, winter and lifetime sun exposure.

The women were divided into three groups, low, moderate and high UV-B ray exposure based on where they lived. In people with MS, the immune system attacks the protective myelin covering surrounding tissue in the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spine and optic nerves. Scar tissue forms around the nerve fibres in place of the damaged myelin and interferes with brain signals through the spinal cord.