Childhood Sun Exposure Linked To MS Prevention
Posted July 24, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Parents shielding their children from the Sun’s powerful rays may want to reconsider, according to a new study released in the medical journal, Neurology.
The study, which flies in the face of recent medical advice strongly cautioning against early sun exposure, links childhood time in the sun to a lower-risk of contracting MS. Researchers studied 79 pairs of identical twins, in which one had multiple sclerosis. They asked the twins 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. They found the twin who spent more hours outdoors had a 25 to 57 percent reduced risk of developing the disease.
Multiple Sclerosis is a nervous system disease that affects the brain and spinal cord. There is no cure and preventative methods are largely unknown as no one knows what causes MS.
Symptoms of MS include:
· Visual disturbances
· Muscle weakness
· Trouble with coordination and balance
· Sensations such as numbness, prickling, or “pins and needles”
· Thinking and memory problems
More information on the benefits of sun exposure
Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada
