Alzheimer's and the importance of the sun. Those who live in the north and in areas with little sunshine would run a greater risk of getting Alzheimer's. Lack of sun - and poor sun exposure - prevents our body from naturally synthesizing vitamin D.
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THEAlzheimer and the importance of Sun and vitamin D. Those who live in the north and in areas with little sunshine would run a greater risk of getting Alzheimer's. Lack of sun - and poor sun exposure - prevents our body from naturally synthesizing vitamin D.
And vitamin D would be related to a lower risk of getting Alzheimer's. This is what emerges from a study by the University of Edinburgh recently conducted by Scottish researchers.
The experts took into consideration previous studies that already showed how low levels of vitamin D could increase the risk of getting Alzheimer's. According to the researchers' analyzes, it is possible divide the incidence of the disease into geographical areas.
It seems that those living in the North are three times more likely to develop the disease than those living in the South. Scotland, more or less sunny, in which they lived.
“In the first part of the study we sequenced fifty people, 23 Alzheimer's patients and 23 healthy subjects, and the others in transition. 16 out of 1.400 microRNAs that were mutated in Alzheimer's patients were identified. So we ran a second study, in cases where we didn't know the participants' diagnosis… We then brain-imaged these participants and could determine which ones suffered from the condition and which didn't. Hopefully the tests can also help in clinical trials and verify the efficacy of new drugs"- the experts explained.
The lower exposure to the sun and the lack of vitamin D could therefore be among the causes of the development of Alzheimer's andincreased risk of getting the disease. It would be interesting to know if the results found for Scotland are valid for the whole world and if those who live in very sunny areas, at least regarding the vitamin D factor, can feel safe. The study in question was published in the journal Neurology.
Marta Albè
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