How Sunshine May Prevent MS

CHILDREN who spend more time in the sun may be less likely to develop multiple sclerosis when they grow up. Scientists in California studied 70 pairs of identical adult twins one of whom had MS and the other had not.

When they analysed their childhood exposure to the sun’s rays, they found that those who spent more time outdoors were up to 40 per cent less likely to develop the incurable condition later in life.

The findings, published in the journal Neurology, support earlier evidence that sunshine may help prevent the wasting disease.

It remains unclear how the sun’s rays might work, but one theory is that they keep the immune system in check, possibly by stimulating production of vitamin D. Multiple sclerosis is known as an autoimmune disease, which means it develops when the body’s own defence system turns on itself and begins to attack healthy tissue.

It affects around 85,000 people in the UK and is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40.

Three times more women are affected than men. When the disease progresses, many patients end up in a wheelchair and have problems with speech, vision and bladder control.

There is no cure and the only effective treatments are aimed at reducing the number of relapses. Dr Laura Bell from the MS Society said: ‘This supports findings from previous similar studies. Further research on the pathways by which sun exposure reduces MS risk would be beneficial.’

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