A disabling bone disease seems to be linked to a decrease of sunshine in Britain. A recent study compared the shifts in changing cloud cover to the rise of Rickets.
The disease is a skeletal disorder that is caused by a lack of vitamin D. It causes weak bones, stunted growth, and sometimes skeletal deformities. A lack of vitamin D also affects the body’s ability to keep levels of calcium and phosphate normal. The body will then produce a hormone that releases calcium and phosphate from the bones, making them weak.
The study showed that between 1997 and 2011 cases of the disease almost doubled compared to previous years. Looking at the weather, the study found that since the mid-1990s, Britain has had an increase in cloud cover due to warming sea surface temperatures, which caused more rain and less sunshine in the area. The increase in cloud cover decreased the average amount of sun about four hours per month in the summer. With less sun, there was less vitamin D absorbed, which led to an increase in bone disease.
Our changing climate can now be contributed to another rising problem.
Read more here.
Find the study here.
