A study conducted by researchers from Australia has revealed that people spending more time under the sun were less likely to develop the dreaded multiple sclerosis. It has also been stated that people with higher levels of vitamin D were less prone to the condition.

The research has further back the findings of previous studies that have reported that people living near the equator were less likely to develop the condition. The difference can be best explained by exposure to sun, as those living in sunny places are likely to have healthy levels of vitamin D.

The analysis has already appeared in a publication known as Neurology and was led by Robyn Lucas of The Australian National University. For the research, 216 people developing the first signs of MS between 2003 and 2006 were followed by Lucas and his colleagues.

The 216 people were compared to a group of 400 people, who were of similar age and gender, but did not report any signs of the condition.

Following a comparison between the two groups, it was found that people with early signs of MS were less likely to be exposed to lower doses of UV rays. Apart from lesser exposure to sun they were also found to have lower levels of vitamin D, when compared to people without any signs of MS.

Talking to Reuters Health, Lucas informed “Our study is the first to be able to look at both sun exposure and vitamin D status right at the very first symptoms that might precede development of MS”.