Why are black people so afraid of the sun? The sun has a wealth of beneficial properties and a new research suggests, that living in sunnier climates when young might even help to shield you from MS decades later.
The main factor may be the sun’s ultraviolet B (UV-B) rays, which help the body produce vitamin D, according to a Canadian team. They noted that lower levels of vitamin D have been associated with a rise in risk for MS.
The finding isn’t entirely new – other studies have shown lower MS rates in sunnier regions. But, “our study went further, looking at exposure over a person’s lifespan,” explained lead study author Helen Tremlett, of the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.
Tremlett’s team tracked the histories of 151 women with MS who were diagnosed at an average age of 40 and 235 women of similar age without MS. The women lived across the United States and nearly all were white.
Women who lived in sunnier regions and had