The Sunny Solution to Reduce
Your Risk of Multiple Sclerosis
You can greatly reduce your risk of developing serious autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis just by soaking up some sun. In fact, one of the best things you can do for your health is to get enough regular exposure to sunshine on your uncovered skin so your body can produce enough vitamin D.
In a study of the blood serum of more than 7 million U.S. military personnel, of which 257 had multiple sclerosis (MS), researchers found that vitamin D is associated with a lower risk of multiple sclerosis. The results showed a 41% decrease in MS for every 50-nmol/L increase in blood levels of vitamin D.
Those studied who had the highest levels of vitamin D(top 20 percent), saw their multiple scleroses risk decrease by 62 percent compared to those who had the lowest amounts of vitamin D(bottom 20 percent).
Vitamin D has also been shown to positively affect MS patients by changing the status of cytokines, which modulate the immune system. One study found that exposure to sunlight of MS patents reduced the death toll for MS by as much as 76 percent.
If you live in the United States, you are twice as likely to develop MS if you spent your childhood in the northern states where the climate is cooler than if you lived one of the warmer, more southern states. The “cutoff” age appears to be 15; your likelihood in developing MS remains higher if you spent your childhood in a less sunny state, even if you moved to a warmer climate as an adult.
You should make sure to get enough regular exposure to your uncovered skin in both the summer and winter months, however, be sure to use precaution when going in to the sun.
Sources:
Journal of American Medical Association
Reuters
Healthy Choice Naturals
Tanamins
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