New research results are adding to the evidence that healthy vitamin D levels from exposure to the sun may help protect against, or delay, multiple sclerosis, Danish researchers say.
Dr Julie Hejgaard Laursen, of Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark, and her team, examined the link by giving questionnaires to 1,161 people with multiple sclerosis. Blood samples were also taken, and participants were divided into two groups based on their sun-related habits when they were teenagers – whether they spent time in the sun every day or did not.
Those who did spend time in the sun every day were diagnosed with multiple sclerosis on average 1.9 years later than those who did not. Further study results showed that those who were overweight at age 20 were diagnosed 1.6 years earlier than those who were average weight and 3.1 years earlier than those who were underweight.
Dr Laursen said: "The factors that lead to developing multiple sclerosis are complex and we are still working to understand them all, but several studies have shown that vitamin D and sun exposure may have a protective effect on developing the disease.
"This study suggests that sun exposure during the teenage years may even affect the age at onset of the disease. It appears that both UVB rays from sunlight and vitamin D could be associated with a delayed onset of multiple sclerosis. However, it’s possible that other outdoor factors play a role, and these still have to be identified."
She added that the link with weight might be explained by vitamin D deficiency, "but there’s not enough direct evidence to establish this yet".
Details were published yesterday (7 October) in the journal Neurology.
Laursen, J. H. et al. Neurology 7 October 2015 [abstract]
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