Some medical researchers in Denmark now suggest
vitamin D deficiency and obesity during adolescence may lead to accelerated
onset of multiple sclerosis in affected individuals. If so, could the reverse
be true? Could slimmer (perhaps fitter) teens who spend lots of time in the sun
unwittingly stave off the MS MonSter till much later in life?
Maybe that’s why I
didn’t find out I had MS till I was 50.
I spent lots of time outside in my youth and childhood. (I
still do.) Biking, boating, hiking, skiing, and swimming have been some of my
favorite pursuits. More recently, horseback riding, gardening, and running have
beckoned me outside.
And I confess. I spent countless in my teen years under the
sky, working on suntans. Now I endure frequent skin examinations and have been
through countless freeze-offs and even basal cell carcinoma surgery. But I didn’t
face MS till later in life.
Fair trade? I dunno.
OK, back to the
medical research on teen obesity, vitamin D and MS.
The study team, based at Copenhagen University in Denmark, targets
more than 1,000 MSers in Denmark and took their blood samples. The participants
were asked about sun exposure, vitamin D supplements, and diet (especially
consumption of fatty fish) during their teen years. The vast majority of those
who indicated they had spent time in the sun daily during adolescence had developed
MS later in life than those who did not.
Also, those who said they had been overweight as teenagers
were found to have MS earlier than those who were not.
The findings were reported this week in Medical News Today.
Earlier MS research has already pointed to a possible
connection between childhood or teen obesity and increased MS risk. Some
experts explain this as arising from lesser physical activity, particularly
outdoors, which tends to lead to decreased Vitamin D exposure. This stands to reason,
perhaps, as those who spend more time playing and exercising outside tend to
pick up more sunshine (and thus, Vitamin D).
Vitamin D seems to be a constant issue for many MSers. From
deficiencies to improper absorption, we never seem to have enough vitamin D in
our systems. (Raise your hand, if your MS
specialist has ever put you on whopping doses of vitamin D.)
In the US along, some 200 individuals are newly diagnosed
with MS every week, according to the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). The current total
of American MS cases is said to be somewhere between 250,000 and 350,000. It
would be interesting to analyze the MS onset ages (or at least, the diagnosis
ages) of those individuals.
Hey, I’d love to know how many had parents that sent them
outdoors to play sports when they were young. And don’t these research findings
(if confirmed) beg the question about teens in our video game, virtual reality,
and online socialization age and how a sedentary lifestyle might shape the
future outlook for yet-undiagnosed MSers?
Image/s:
Adapted from public domain artwork
Adapted from public domain artwork