People with multiple sclerosis show subtle alterations in gut bacteria that seem to be consistent across populations in the U.S. and Asia, a new analysis of previously published studies found. “Our work … establishes a generalized and common gut microbiome pattern in patients with MS across geographically and technically…

A certain bacterial species is enriched in the gut of people with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) and may promote neuroinflammation and drive disability progression in these patients, a study found. When isolated from SPMS patients and given to a mouse model, this strain led to more pronounced neurological…

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) may facilitate or “tune” the crosstalk between the gut microbiome and the immune responses that have been implicated in multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study found. Deleting this receptor in a set of immune T-cells — a suspected factor in MS onset and progression…

Differences in the composition of the gut microbiome are associated with an altered risk of low immune cell counts as a side effect of treatment with the multiple sclerosis (MS) therapy Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate). The findings provide further insights on how the gut microbiome — the billions of…

A relationship between meat consumption and how it affects gut bacteria, immune cell profiles, and metabolism was identified in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) participating in a small study. Specifically, a diet rich in meat was associated with a decrease in Bacteriodes thetaiotaomicron, a common gut bacteria that works…

Alterations in gut bacteria and bacterial metabolism were found in Japanese people at different stages of multiple sclerosis (MS) compared to healthy controls, a study reports. Reduced fatty acid synthesis in gut bacteria found in those with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS)…

Modulating the bacteria that reside in the gut by treating multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with probiotics, fecal transplants, or gut-related microRNAs may help to ease inflammation and disease severity, researchers with Brigham and Women’s Hospital suggest. Howard Weiner, MD, a group leader at the hospital, presented his team’s findings on…

A small RNA molecule found in high levels in the gut of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) could be used to develop a new therapy for MS in the future, an early research study reports. Orally giving this microRNA — called miR-30d — to mouse models of…

A DNA analysis to identify changes in the gut microbiome in people newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis — who have yet to begin using disease-modifying therapies — showed that all, regardless of ethnic background, have an abundance of the bacteria group Clostridia compared to people…

A 12-week clinical study is recruiting people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) to evaluate if intermittent fasting can improve their immune response, metabolism, and gut microbiome — the bacterial community that inhabits the gastrointestinal tract. Its findings may also hint at whether such a diet might ease MS symptoms or alter discourse course and, if used in conjunction with other treatments, boost their efficacy. Conducted by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, the trial is supported by their findings in an earlier mouse study.  Results showed that fasting worked to ease MS-like symptoms in a mouse model of the disease, the research team reported. Specifically, EAE mice fed every other day were less prone to symptoms that included difficulty in walking, limb weakness, and paralysis than mice allowed to eat freely.  A fasting diet also enriched bacterial diversity in the mice guts, and shifted immune cell populations there toward a lower inflammatory response. When gut bacteria were transferred from fasting mice to nonfasting mice, the later also were seen to be better protected against MS-like movement problems, supporting the influence of the gut microbiome on MS symptoms. Several diets have been proposed to help ease disease progression in MS patients, but solid scientific evidence is lacking to support any one diet over another, leaving the issue much to an individual’s choice. “The fact is that diet may indeed help with MS symptoms, but the studies haven’t been done,” Laura Piccio, MD, an associate professor of neurology at WUSTL and the study's lead author, said in a WUSTL news release written by Tamara Bhandari. Taking place at the Missouri university, the trial is expected to enroll 60 RRMS patients. Half will be randomly assigned to eat a standard Western-style diet seven days a week, and the other half to Western-style diet five days a week, with two days set aside for fasting (consuming a maximum of 500 calories each day). On fasting days, patients can only drink water or calorie-free beverages and eat fresh, steamed or roasted non-starchy vegetables All will undergo a neurological assessment, and provide blood and stool samples in the study's beginning, at mid-point or week six, and at its end (week 12). Those using MS medications will continue on their prescribed treatment regimens throughout the study. More information, including enrollment information, is available here. Piccio noted that a pilot study on diet in 16 MS patients showed that limiting calories every other day for two weeks led to immune and gut microbiome changes that resembled those observed in the mice study she helped to lead. Its researchers concluded that intermittent fasting had the potential to positively manipulate the immune response in MS patients by changing their gut microbiome. The gut microbiome plays a central role in digestion, and in producing vitamins and amino acids (the building blocks of proteins). But a growing body of evidence indicates that it also determines how our immune systems develops and matures. Indeed, an increasing number of studies link irregularities in the gut microbiome with MS. “There are several possible ways fasting can affect inflammation and the immune response,” Piccio said. “One is by changing hormone levels. We found that levels of the anti-inflammatory hormone corticosterone were nearly twice as high in the fasting mice. But it also could act through the gut microbiome.” The new trial will allow the team to analyze more deeply the effects of a fasting diet — and perhaps gather evidence for a larger study investigating if skipping meals can ease MS symptoms. Its goal is to find out "whether people on limited fasts undergo changes to their metabolism, immune response and microbiome similar to what we see in the mouse,” Piccio said. “I don’t think any physician working with this disease thinks you can cure MS with diet alone,” she added, “but we may be able to use it as an add-on to current treatments to help people feel better.”

Metabolites produced by microbes in the gut can ease inflammation in the central nervous system by limiting the damage done by microglia, an immune cell of the brain, an early study reports. Its scientists suggest this gut-brain axis may open new avenues to treatment. “These findings provide a clear understanding of how…

The past few months have not been fun. We lost my father-in-law, put our beloved cat down, and moved from our home to a townhouse that is too small and poorly built. With a low inventory of rental properties in our area, and…

The role of the microbiome and its association with multiple sclerosis was the topic of several sessions and papers at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) 2017 Forum. More than 800 researchers and clinicians attended the second annual meeting in Orlando last week to hear…

A link indeed appears to exist between multiple sclerosis (MS) and unusual changes in the bacterial composition of the gut, according to researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). In their study, “Alterations of the human gut microbiome in multiple sclerosis,” published in the journal Nature Communications,…

Increasing evidence suggests that our gut microbiome is able to regulate brain processes and trigger neurological disorders, such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Scientists from around the world discussed these themes at the recent Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen, Denmark. “The gut microbiome can influence the central…

A ketogenic diet — a very low-carbohydrate, high-fat eating plan called a keto diet for short — was able to lessen the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) in mouse models by modulating the activity of gut bacteria and their metabolites, a new study shows. The findings suggest that…

Supplements of indole 3-lactate (ILA), a molecule made by gut bacteria, significantly reduced disease severity and promoted myelin repair in mouse models of multiple sclerosis (MS). That’s according to new findings presented by Larissa Jank, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at Johns Hopkins University, at the Americas Committee for Treatment…

People with a higher genetic risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) were seen to have detectable differences in their gut bacteria in a small study. “There seems to be an association between genetic risk score and [changes in gut bacteria] in triggering the disease in a small cohort of MS…

Pro-inflammatory immune cells that can target the brain may be activated in a specific region of the intestine by certain gut bacteria before migrating to the brain, according to a new study done in mice. Researchers say these findings provide a proof of concept for how some immune cells may…

A bacterial toxin in the gut — specifically, the epsilon toxin produced by Clostridium perfringens bacteria in the intestinal tract — may be a key environmental driver of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a recent study. After finding the toxin at a higher abundance in the fecal samples of MS…

The amounts of more than 60 species of bacteria are altered in the gut in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared with those without the disease, a new study reports. Researchers also identified differences in the makeup of viruses that infect gut bacteria in patients, which they said may…

Severing the lower part of the vagus nerve — one of the main neurological pathways that connects the brain to the gut — led to less myelin loss in a mouse model that’s commonly used to study multiple sclerosis (MS). The findings suggest that the vagus nerve plays…

Gut Bacteria Are Altered in MS, Linked to Disease Progression Several studies have indicated that the composition of gut bacteria in people with MS is different from that of healthy people. But earlier studies didn’t take into account environmental factors, such as where the study subjects lived or what…

The composition of bacteria in the gut is altered in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients compared with healthy people in the same household, a new study reports. That bacterial composition is affected by disease-modifying therapies and seems to be associated with disease severity. These findings could aid in developing…

Repeated fecal transplants from healthy donors were safe and well-tolerated in a small group of people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study reported. Treatment also showed a potential to ease intestinal permeability in MS and enrich the presence of protective microbes in the gut. Given that the trial…

Epstein-Barr Virus May be Leading Cause of MS, Raising Risk by 32 Times Several studies over the past few years have suggested a link between the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and multiple sclerosis (MS), but this one is huge, both in the number of participants and in the length…

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) have high levels of toxic compounds made by gut bacteria in the fluid around their brain and spinal cord, a study found. “This work not only furthers our understanding of the role of gut-brain communication in neurodegenerative disease progression, but also provides a potential…

Isoflavone-rich diets boost gut health and lessen multiple sclerosis (MS) severity, a new study in mice suggests. In the study, mice with MS that were fed a diet rich in isoflavone — a plant-based compound — developed diverse and abundant gut bacteria, particularly isoflavone-digesting bacteria, which produced compounds that…

A particular type of gut microbiota-reactive immune cells, called IgA-producing B-cells, travels to the brain of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients during relapses, where they produce anti-inflammatory molecules, a study shows. The underlying mechanisms of this event and these cells’ role in MS remain largely unclear, but these…

The presence of a particular gut bacterium widely used in probiotics, called Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri), was sufficient to increase disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), but only in genetically susceptible animals, a recent study shows. These findings highlight the complex interactions between…