Listen up, ladies (and guys too, even though the study doesn’t mention you): Boston researchers say that women who live in the northern latitudes are more likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than their friends living down south.

Dr. Veronica Vieira, MS, DSc, associate professor of environmental health at Boston University School of Public Health says “This might be related to the fact that there’s less sunlight in these areas, which results in a vitamin D deficiency.”

Dr. Vieira and her team arrived at their conclusion by looking at data from the Nurses’ Health Study, the single largest cohort study of women ever done. The researchers based their findings on 461 women who had rheumatoid arthritis and compared their data with a control group of 9,220 women.

When the investigators looked at where the women lived, their health outcomes, and behavioral risk factors, they found that living up north was a risk for rheumatoid arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, autoimmune disease that attacks the lining of the joints, mostly in the knees and hands. It is characterized by pain, joint inflammation and redness, and joint stiffness. The condition is three times more common in women than in men. Read more on rheumatoid arthritis here

Many people know that the body produces vitamin D from exposure to sunlight, but it’s also a fact that most people just don’t get enough rays. And a lack of exposure to enough sunlight and the vitamin D deficiency that results in many cases has been associated with a variety of health problems, including other autoimmune diseases.

“A geographic association with northern latitudes has also been observed for multiple sclerosis and Crohn’s disease, other autoimmune diseases that may be mediated by reduced vitamin D from decreased solar exposure,” noted the study’s authors.

So, although the authors “hadn’t given latitudes much thought,” they now believe that further research is needed to explore the relationship between vitamin D exposure and the development of rheumatoid arthritis.

While they’re doing their research, everyone should make sure—women and men alike—to get enough vitamin D. Fifteen to twenty minutes of midday sun 3 to 4 times a week, a high-quality vitamin D3 supplement, and healthy food sources (e.g., salmon, cod, shrimp) can do the trick. In fact, 20 minutes in the sun can deliver up to 10,000IU’s of vitamin D which is a massive amount based on recommended dosages. So enjoy the sun but don’t get too much so as to put you at risk for skin cancer.  And remember, JoMo has 1000IU of vitamin D in every dose so its an easy way to get a boost every day!!

Mr. JoMo