May 20, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Genetic Indicators of High BMI in Childhood Linked to Higher MS Risk Genetic variants that contribute to a high body mass index (BMI) during childhood are associated withĀ an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. The relationship is likely influenced by the fact that a higher BMI in childhood is linked to obesity in adulthood and a ālonger…
January 7, 2021 News by Aisha I Abdullah PhD Obesity, High BMI Linked to Greater MS Risk, Autoimmune Activity Obesity and a higher body mass index (BMI) are associated with both increased multiple sclerosis (MS) risk and harmful autoimmune activity that is induced by leptin, a hormone secreted by fat cells, a study finds. These results indicate that leptin, which helps regulate…
July 6, 2020 News by David Melamed, PhD Higher BMI as Teenagers Raises Risk of MS for Men, Study Finds Young men, ages 16 to 20, with a higher the body mass index (BMI) are at greater their risk of being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) later in life, regardless of physical fitness, according to a Swedish study. Risk rose across “the entire BMI range,” its researchers reported,…
June 18, 2020 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Obesity Linked to Faster Optic Nerve Atrophy, Study Finds Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who are obese experience faster degeneration in optic nerve tissue than do those of normal weight, an observational study found. Since optic nerve degeneration correlates with greater nerve loss in the brain, measuring changes in this tissue may be a feasible way to determine…
January 24, 2020 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gene Variants Linked to High Childhood BMI Point to Higher MS Risk, Study Finds Genetic variations that increase body mass index (BMI) in childhoodĀ are associated with a higher risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) regardless of a person’s vitamin D levels, a study found. The study, “BMI and low vitamin D are causal factors for multiple sclerosis,” was published in…
July 24, 2019 News by Alejandra Viviescas, PhD Conversion to MS Among Taiwanese with CIS Low and Disease Course Mild, Study Finds The percentage of Taiwanese who develop multiple sclerosis (MS) after an episode of clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is lower than that reported for other ethnicities, and those who do progress are likely to have a milder disease course, a study found, supporting how factors like geography and genetics…
April 12, 2019 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Excess Body Fat Spurs Disease Progression by Impact on Immune Cells, Study Suggests A link between fat molecules calledĀ ceramides andĀ worsening disease in overweight and obese people with multiple sclerosis appears to exist, a study reports, with its findings suggesting that ceramides prompt the growth of immune cells calledĀ monocytes, which in turn spurs disease progression. These results also strengthen the likelihood thatĀ lifestyle factors, like diet and weight, can act as disease modifiers, its researchers said. High body mass index has been linked to the risk of developing MS, but for reasons that aren't clear. One idea is that weight-induced differences in lipids (fat molecules) in the blood, because they are involved in several cellular signaling processes, may affect MS and its course in people with higher BMIs. To test this hypothesis, a team led by researchers atĀ the Advanced Science Research Center (ASRC) at The Graduate Center and at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai analyzed 54 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (MS), ages 18 to 60, and with normal or high BMIs (27 people in each group). Participants were followed for two years. BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight. A normal BMI is defined as one between 18.5 and 24.9, while a person is considered overweight with a BMI of 25ā29.9, and obese it is 30 or higher. Researchers took blood samples, and looked for differences between the groups in terms of both immune cells and blood lipid profiles. They then validated their findings in a separate group of 91 RRMS patients. Patients with high BMIs tended to have more monocytes than those with normal BMIs. Monocytes can travel through the blood to tissues where they develop into macrophages, immune cells with various functions that are best known for "eating" invading bacteria. Monocytes can also travel to the brain and damage nerve fibers. Overweight and obese patients also had significantly higher levels of ceramides compared with normal-weight patients, and the researchers wondered if a link might exist between the two. Through a set of experiments in cells, they discovered that ceramides cause epigenetic changes in monocytes; that is, they alter the way their genomes are "read," so they alter gene activity. Specifically, ceramide-treated cells showed a type of epigenetic change called methylation ā which generally turns genes "off" ā in genes that normally help prevent cells from dividing. Conceptually, these genetic changes serve to unleash monocytes, leading them to grow more (proliferate) than they otherwise might. The researchers also found more methylation on the genomes of monocytes from high-BMI patients than those from low-BMI patients, and they noted that the overweight or obese patients also tended to have greater disease activity, worse disability progression, and more brain lesions on MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans on follow-up. Finally, the researchers tested a mouse model of MS, giving one group of mice a standard diet and another a high-fat diet. Mice fed the high-fat diet were found to have greater disease severity, more brain lesions, and more monocytes, confirming the findings seen in MS patients. "This study gives us a much-needed view into the environmental influences that can affect and change the behavior of cells in an individual's body," Kamilah Castro, the study's first author, said in a press release. "Our findings suggest that increased levels of saturated fat as a result of dietary habits are one likely cause of the epigenetic changes that advance MS, which gives us a starting point for a potential intervention." According to the team, the findingsĀ support the concept of nutri-epigenomics:Ā that is, the ability of food to alter the way the genetic information is interpreted by each cell, and suggest that "weight management and dietary intervention" might affect MS prognosis. One limitation was the study's small size, its researchers noted. "While we consider our results ā¦ very exciting and mechanistic, we acknowledge that the potential consideration of ceramide levels as biomarkers for disease progression in MS would require validation ... using larger cohorts with a longitudinal and/or cross-sectional design," they concluded. "It will also be important to evaluate the effectiveness of dietary intervention (with an emphasis on the reduction of specific classes of saturated fats), as potential modulator of plasma ceramide levels and possibly of disease course in MS patients."
October 15, 2018 News by Ana Pena PhD #ECTRIMS2018 – Excessive Weight, But Not Vitamin D, Linked with Faster Grey Matter Loss in MS, Study Finds Being overweight is associated with accelerated grey matter volume loss in the brain, a mark ofĀ neurodegeneration, in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, a five-year observational study shows. But vitamin D levels, often suggested as an MS risk factor, do not seem to affect brain volume over time.
August 28, 2018 News by Joana Carvalho, PhD Exercise Fights Fatigue and Depression in MS Patients, Study Reveals Physical exerciseĀ fights fatigue and depression in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study reveals. Remarkably, these positive outcomes in psychological health can be achieved without significant alterations in the patient’s body weight or body mass index (BMI), further supporting the idea that exercise could be…
June 14, 2018 News by Vijaya Iyer, PhD Obesity and Smoking in Teen Years Could Speed Adult’s Progression to SPMS, Study Reports Young adults at age 20 who are obese and smoke are not only at a higher risk of developing relapsing multiple sclerosis ā those who become MS patients after age 20 are also more likely to advance to secondary progressive MS more quickly, researchers in Sweden report. But the link…
February 8, 2017 News by admin Obesity and Early Start of Puberty Linked to Greater Likelihood of MS in Study of Teens Obesity in early adolescence poses a risk for multiple sclerosis (MS) regardless of sex, and an earlier age at puberty also contributes to MS onset at younger ages, especially inĀ overweight teenagers, a study reports. These findings were in the study, āDistinct…
July 1, 2016 News by InĆŖs Martins, PhD Childhood Obesity Linked to Higher Risk of Multiple Sclerosis, Possibly by Altering Vitamin D Levels Obese children and young adults appear toĀ be at a considerably higher risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to researchers at the McGill University in Canada and collaborators at the University of BristolĀ in the U.K., who found a causal relationship between the two. Their study, “…
April 4, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Young MS Patients in the US More Likely to Be Overweight and Suffer More Relapses Than Peers Elsewhere, Study Finds Scientists at the Pediatric MS Center at NYU Langone, New York, reported that U.S. adolescents withĀ multiple sclerosis (MS) receivingĀ interferon-beta 1a therapyĀ had a higher body mass index (BMI), more relapses, and were managed differently compared to patients of similar age in seven other countries. The study, “Subcutaneous…