More fun under the sun lowers MS risk

A new study from sunny Down Under bolsters the link between multiple sclerosis (MS) and sun exposure and vitamin D levels. Multiple sclerosis is a chronic neuromuscular disease with no cure, but several effective treatments exist to delay progression. About 350,000 Americans have it, more women than men.

According to this latest study, published in today’s issue of Neurology, patients with early signs of MS had less UV ray sun exposure and vitamin D levels ten times lower than control subjects from the same regions who had no signs of the disease. However, the study, which monitored 216 adult MS patients and 395 control subjects, does not prove that lower sun exposure or insufficient vitamin D levels cause MS. And too much sun exposure can increase one’s risk of skin cancer.

ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross believes this study warrants further research with larger study populations that can “somehow distinguish the effects of sun exposure on MS from those of vitamin D levels. If supplementing with vitamin D could effectively protect against MS, there would be no need to elevate the cancer risks associated with increased sun exposure.”