Spending time in the sun (with suitable protection, of course) during adolescence delays the appearance of multiple sclerosis, a disease that affects the nervous system. Watching your line could also play in the balance: being overweight would increase the risk of being affected by the disease earlier. These are the findings of a study from the University Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The study by Julie Hejgaard Laursen, published in the specialist journal Neurology, confirms the protective role against multiple sclerosis of vitamin D, linked to sun exposure. Several studies had already demonstrated this benefit.
For the experiment, 1161 Danish patients with multiple sclerosis were evaluated. They were asked about their vitamin D intake during adolescence and their consumption of oily fish (rich in vitamin D) at the age of 20. They were also subjected to blood tests.
Result: 88% of patients who were most exposed to the sun at age 20 had developed the disease at age 32.9, ie 1.9 years later for the others.
In addition, 18% of overweight volunteers at age 20 presented with the disease 1.6 years earlier than patients of normal build.
Other outside factors to be determined
“UVB rays from the sun and vitamin D together could be associated with a delay in the onset of multiple sclerosis”, concludes Dr. Laursen, quoted by Relax news. Nevertheless, other external factors have yet to be identified, according to the researcher.
In France, about 80,000 people suffer from multiple sclerosis. This autoimmune disease causes lesions that cause motor, sensory and cognitive disturbances. In the more or less long term, these disorders can lead to an irreversible handicap, recalls Inserm.
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