Women, obesity and the MS connection

While many moms never worry about the size of their children, mothers of obese kids now have another issue to begin worrying about. The latest issue of Neurology has provided results that show a woman's risk of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) may be more than doubled if she were obese in her teen years. Women'sHealth.gov issued an easy-to-read statement about the relationship: Teen obesity ups MS risk in women.

One of the most interesting things about the write-up is the fact that the study, while not designed to figure out the actual why? connection, lead researchers to hypothesize that the relationship between Vitamin D absorption and the onset of MS may be related. In my brain, this makes me believe that MS researchers may have another avenue of prevention, or even cure research to further develop.

Obesity facts from the WHO and CDC:

obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or above

globally an estimated 300 million adults are obese

obesity rates range from below 5% in China, Japan and some African nations to over 75% in urban Samoa

two to seven percent of total healthcare costs in several developed countries can be attributed to obesity

obesity is a chronic condition like diabetes

a Canadian study found that 83% of physicians are less likely to perform exams on obese patients

US News and World Reports found that liposuction among teens has tripled in the last year

Multiple Sclerosis facts:

MS is a chronic progressive nervous disorder involving the loss of myelin sheath around certain nerve fibers

about 2.5 million people globally live with MS

Scotland has the highest incidence of MS (per head) worldwide

MS affects women much more frequently than men

While the study only shows a correlation (not causation), it gives us room to think about the possible connections and research opportunities, especially when it comes to treatments and preventives of MS.

Want to know more about MS? I recommend reading Trevis Gleason's MS Blog on Everyday Living for some great insight. Carole's MS Insight Blog also sheds some light on the disease.

More reading on the obesity and MS connection: