| Published: July 24, 2007 at 9:37 PM | | ||
LOS ANGELES, July 24 (UPI) -- People who spent more time in the sun as children may have a lower risk of developing multiple sclerosis than those who got less sun, says a U.S. study.
Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles surveyed 79 pairs of identical twins with the same genetic risk for MS in which only one twin had MS.
The twins were asked to specify whether they or their twin spent more time outdoors during hot days, cold days and summer, and which one spent more time sun tanning, going to the beach and playing team sports as a child.
The study, published in the journal Neurology, found the twin with MS spent less time in the sun as a child than the twin who did not have MS. Depending on the activity, the twin who spent more hours outdoors had a 25 percent to 57 percent reduced risk of developing MS.
"Sun exposure appears to have a protective effect against MS," study authors Talat Islam and Dr. Thomas Mack, said in a statement. "Exposure to ultra violet rays may induce protection against MS by alternative mechanisms, either directly by altering the cellular immune response or indirectly by producing immunoactive vitamin D."
Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles surveyed 79 pairs of identical twins with the same genetic risk for MS in which only one twin had MS.
The twins were asked to specify whether they or their twin spent more time outdoors during hot days, cold days and summer, and which one spent more time sun tanning, going to the beach and playing team sports as a child.
The study, published in the journal Neurology, found the twin with MS spent less time in the sun as a child than the twin who did not have MS. Depending on the activity, the twin who spent more hours outdoors had a 25 percent to 57 percent reduced risk of developing MS.
"Sun exposure appears to have a protective effect against MS," study authors Talat Islam and Dr. Thomas Mack, said in a statement. "Exposure to ultra violet rays may induce protection against MS by alternative mechanisms, either directly by altering the cellular immune response or indirectly by producing immunoactive vitamin D."
http://www.upi.com/Consumer_Health_Daily/Briefing/2007/07/24/childhood_sun_may_lower_ms_risk/8959/
posted by Bill at 12:20 PM
2 Comments:
With all this research, why aren't our neurologists and GP's testing patients' Vitamin D levels?
With all this research on Vitmain D, why aren't our neurologists and GP's testing patients' Vitamin D levels? When I talked to our doctors, they don't know anything about Vitamin D levels and why they should be tested.
Post a Comment
<< Home