Hot topics: Lack of sunlight may increase stroke risk

With our short winter days, a new study form the American Stroke Association should have us on notice for increased risk of strokes.

People who live in areas with the least amount of sunlight may have a greater risk for stroke, according to findings presented at the ASA’s International Stroke Conference in New Orleans this week.

What’s unique about this study, explained professor Leslie A. McClure, a biostatistician from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, is that her team used NASA satellite and ground monitor data to determine sunlight and temperature exposure and how it corresponded with the stroke risk of study participants.

When the different factors were compared, McClure said they found that people who had less than the midpoint level of sun exposure were at 60 percent increased risk for stroke. The study also confirmed previous findings that both hot and cold temperature exposure is associated with higher stroke incidence.

Strokes occur when blood and oxygen is cut off from the brain due to a blood clot or a burst blood vessel. Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and the number one cause of disability, according to the American Stroke Association.

McClure was quick to point out that more research needs to be done to confirm the results of the study, and to determine why sun exposure seems to be associated with reduced stroke risk.

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