I learned more new things per paragraph by reading this article than anything else I've read all year. First, who knew that infectious mononucleosis (aka "mono") = Epstein-Barr virus = herpes?
Second, who would have guessed you could explain nearly three-quarters of all multiple sclerosis cases simply by looking at exposure to mono and lack of exposure to sunlight. But you can, say the authors:
The study found that adding the effects of sunlight exposure and mononucleosis together explained 72 percent of the variance in the occurrence of MS across the United Kingdom. Sunlight exposure alone accounted for 61 percent of the variance.
"It's possible that vitamin D deficiency may lead to an abnormal response to the Epstein-Barr virus," Ebers said.
Spending more time at the beach. Now that's health advice I can get behind.
Miles to Mt. Diablo: 43
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