More Sun, Fewer Multiple Sclerosis Relapses?
Children diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) may have a lower risk of relapse if they had at least 30 minutes of daily summer sun exposure during their first year of life. That’s according to a study led by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, who analyzed health records from 334 children and young people aged 4 to 21 who had been diagnosed with childhood-onset MS.
They found that those patients who reported having daily summer sun exposure for 30 to 60 minutes in early life had a 33 percent lower relapse risk compared to participants in the study who recounted having less sunlight exposures in their first year of life. Additionally, children whose biological mothers had 30 minutes of daily sun during their second trimester of pregnancy showed a 32 percent lower risk of relapse. Overall, the results suggest possible long-term benefits of sun exposure in early childhood for reducing relapse and MS progression later in life. Future research could help refine sun exposure guidelines for children with MS.
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