Does the Weather / Jetstream Affect MS Rates in Scotland?

--Read More In: Disease | Signal | Thinking Out Loud | Vitamins/Supplements

Recently, I was reading that the small country of Scotland has the highest Per Capita Rate of Multiple Sclerosis in the world. It got me thinking about some potential causes.

On Wikipedia, it said MS has some relation to the vitamins that one normally gets as a result of exposure to solar radiation.

-Could the high latitude be working in concert with Scotland's position relative to the Jetstream and the Terrain of the country? -Does Increased Cloud Formation => drastically reduced sunrays falling on Scots => aggravation of MS-genetically-predisposed human systems?

Could this low sun exposure affect or influence: land, soil minerals, crops, animals, diet and ultimately people?

-Is there a way that Forensic Meteorologists can establish a sun exposure baseline, or blood vitamin measurement, to help Scots supplement their diets so as to get up to the Vitamin D (or other vits, mins) levels of someone from -Brazil, for example?

Ex: What if all of Scotland was immediately put on a Mediterranean Diet, Tanning Bed Sessions and Vitamin D Supplements?

-Also, since there seems to be both Inflammation and Immunity issues involved, could there be simpl-ish solutions to those issues too, like anti-inflammatories and immune-strengthening regimens, administered as early as childhood in some cases?

Perhaps there is even a Fulcrum or Tipping-Point Latitude for the disease, Ex: above which the incidence for predisposed individuals goes up by a factor or order of magnitude.

-Oh well, just some thoughts. I used to know someone from Maine, which is fairly high in latitude, who had MS also.

Wikipedia- MS   Scotland MS Society   Link 3   Link 4

UPDATE: The Fulcrum Latitude for MS seems to be roughly 40 degrees from the equator. Also noted was the disparity between rates for Caucasians vs. others, as (ex.:) MS is almost unheard of for Inuits and Eskimos, though they live at high latitudes. The pigment in their skin makes them more efficient Vitamin-D machines.

The World Map of MS   JF Kurtzke MS Geography National MS Soc. Epidemiology

Posted by Will on 10/10/06 | Comments (0) | Email to a friend |

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