A 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.”
A 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.”
