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Increasing Awareness of MS & Vitamin D Link
Madeleine Brindley
Posted Dec 29, 2009
CHARITY has called on the Welsh Assembly Government to fund a
campaign about vitamin D deficiency and multiple sclerosis.
The MS Society Cymru is calling for ministers to follow
Scotland's lead and raise awareness about the links between the two.
Such a campaign would encourage pregnant women and children under
four to take a regular vitamin D supplement.
Scientists recently discovered that MS could be prevented through
daily vitamin D supplements.
There is a clear link between vitamin D - known as the sunshine
vitamin - and a gene that increases the risk of MS, raising the
possibility that the debilitating auto-immune condition could be
eradicated.
The prevalence of MS is far higher in typically wet and cold
countries such as Wales, where 110 people in every 100,000 are
living with the condition.
In a country with lots of sunshine - such as Brazil - only 18
people in every 100,000 have MS.
The NHS in Scotland said it would raise awareness about the links
between vitamin D deficiency and MS this month, after being spurred
into acting by Glasgow teenager Ryan McLaughlin.
Ryan's mother, Kirsten, has had MS for three years, and Ryan, 14,
has shown some symptoms of the disease but the family only
discovered the link earlier this year after a family holiday.
The teenager said: "I was shocked there had not been publicity
around this before. We wanted there to be more awareness of the link
and more research into how much of a problem it is in Scotland.
"These actions will make a big difference - it will go a long way
to giving children some protection against the disease and give
parents proper advice."
Joseph Carter, spokesperson for MS Society Cymru, said: "We are
delighted by this announcement by the Scottish Government and are
now calling on the Welsh Assembly Government to do the same.
"You are 10 times more likely to develop MS in Rhyl than you are
Rio de Janeiro, and new research suggests this is due to vitamin D
deficiency."
Vitamin D, obtained from foods and through the action of sunlight
on skin, is essential for maintaining healthy bones.
It is unclear exactly what causes MS but it has become
increasingly evident that environmental and genetic factors play a
role.
Previous research has shown that populations from Northern Europe
have an increased MS risk if they live in areas receiving less
sunshine.
This supports a direct link between deficiency in vitamin D,
which is produced in the body through the action of sunlight, and
increased risk of developing the condition.
Researchers at the University of Oxford and the University of
British Columbia this year discovered a direct relationship between
the genetic variant DRB1*1501, which is associated with MS, and
vitamin D. Dr Julian Knight, a co-author of the research, said: "In
people with the DRB1 variant associated with MS, it seems that
vitamin D may play a critical role.
"If too little of the vitamin is available, the gene may not
function properly."
And the study's lead author Dr Sreeram Ramagopalan said: "Our
study implies that taking vitamin D supplements during pregnancy and
the early years may reduce the risk of a child developing MS in
later life."
A spokeswoman for the Welsh Assembly Government said: "We are
working closely with the MS Society to raise awareness of multiple
sclerosis.
"Earlier this year, we produced a leaflet, Multiple Sclerosis -
living with a long term condition. This includes information on the
condition, its symptoms and the people affected."
Date: Dec 27, 2009
© 2009 Western Mail. via ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved
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