were two times more likely to end up with multiple sclerosis

Just when you thought you knew all of the side effects and consequences of obesity researchers have managed to find a connection which even links it to higher rates of the deadly illness multiple sclerosis.  The research which was done at the world renowned Harvard School of Public Health shows that women who were obese as teenagers are more likely to develop multiple sclerosis as they age.

The extensive study which has been going on for 40 years and has followed the health patterns of almost 240,000 women shows that women who suffered from obesity at the age of eighteen were two times more likely to end up with multiple sclerosis.  Interestingly however the researchers said that when women were obese in childhood or obese in adulthood there were not statistically significant increases in multiple sclerosis rates.

The lead author of the study, Professor Kassandra Munger explained that other research has shown that adolescence was possibly “an important time” for the development of multiple sclerosis and thus this new research was “consistent with that”. Professor Munger did say however that more research was needed in this area because other factors which could be playing an important part in the development of multiple sclerosis were not accounted for.

It is possible that the link between being obese when a teenager and multiple sclerosis may be connected to levels of vitamin D. It has been put forward by researchers that healthy levels of vitamin D may lower the risk of MS and also that being overweight can reduce vitamin D levels.

Overall the figures show that out of the thousands of volunteers just fewer than 600 women developed the multiple sclerosis condition.  In fact the obese women put their lives in far more danger from hundreds of other obesity related conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer.