In the online publication of the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, researchers from a large international study have recently found a probable cause associating a person's Latitude to the age at which symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) first start.
The study which was led by the University of Tasmania's Menzies Institute for Medical Research reveals that people who have been living from a long distance from the equator were found to be the first people that could show early signs of Multiple Sclerosis as compared to those who just lived in the tropics.
The Guardian has recently reported that both genetic component and as well as environmental factors are allegedly perceived as the reasons behind the development of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Furthermore, the study claims that the link is down to the difference when it comes to the levels of sunlight being received. The production of which is said to be triggered in the skin through UVB radiation and hence referring to the Vitamin D levels that a person gets.
In one of their statement released by New York Post, study co-author and professor of neurology at Charles University in Prague, Eva Havrdova, explained that the finding notes that if a person has been living on a much higher latitude, then it follows that he has higher chances of having the earlier age of onset.
Experts highly emphasize that this is an observational study, which means no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect. Additionally, the researchers were reportedly said to be unable to discuss the information on diet, the use of dietary supplements, and genetic factors, which might also have influenced the findings.
A professor of immunology at Imperial College London, Danny Altmann, who was not involved with the study has also claimed that vitamin D dietary supplements could possibly have an essential role in reducing the risk of developing Multiple Sclerosis.
