Because apparently Scotland's lack of sunshine give it exceptionally high levels of MS - sufficiently high for people to
propose dosing Scottish food with Vitamin D, which apparently has a preventative effect. But if it's really down to the lack of sunlight, surely people further north, where it's dark more and cold enough to mean you're covered up all year round, should suffer even more? Also, I thought Europeans' white skin was a development to enable us to sythesise Vit D from sunlight more efficiently than dark skin.
It's a bit worrying that in the article the main impetus for vit D dosing seems to come from an individual case, rather than medical consensus.
The cause of vitamin D has been taken up by Shine on Scotland, a campaign launched by 13-year-old Ryan McLaughlin in response to his mother's diagnosis with MS. Kirsten McLaughlin is now very ill in hospital. The campaign is supported by the MS Society in Scotland, has involved a march on the Scottish parliament and resulted last year in an international summit in Glasgow involving scientists, campaigners and Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon.
Ryan's father, Alan, said he and Ryan had another meeting with government officials on Wednesday where they urged food fortification.
"We still think that's the best way to go," he said. "We have started having talks with manufacturers about milk or fruit juice." They have persuaded Kellogg's to add extra vitamin D to their cereals.
It seems you can't overdose on vitamin D, so adding extra to food isn't harmful - but equally, you can't ensure people will eat that food and it may end up a huge waste of money. Who is going to pay for it? The Scottish Parliament? Or food processors? Maybe it would be more effective to add it to water.