Researchers Explore Influence of Obesity vs. Age at Puberty as Risk Factors of MS
March 20, 2019
An international team led by researchers at McGill University published results of a study that looked at the potential influence of age at puberty with the risk of developing MS. They used genetic data gathered by the International MS Genetics Consortium and others and examined gene variants that control age at puberty. They found that the higher the age of puberty, the lower the risk for developing MS. Further study determined that this effect was largely due to the influence of obesity, and if obesity was not an added factor, they found that age at puberty was no longer a strong MS risk factor. Could reducing the rates of childhood and adolescent obesity reduce the number of people who develop MS? More research is needed to answer this question.
Read the press release from the American Academy of Neurology
Read the summary (abstract) of the paper published in the journal Neurology