A disabling bone disease appears to be linked to reduced sunlight in Britain. A recent study compared shifts in cloud cover to the rise in 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, weakening them.
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 experienced increased cloud cover due to warming sea surface temperatures, leading to more rain and less sunshine in the area. The increase in cloud cover reduced the average amount of sunlight by about four hours per month in the summer. With less sunlight, less vitamin D was absorbed, leading to an increase in bone disease.
Our changing climate can now contribute to another rising problem.
Read more here.
Find the study here.
