Diet was found to significantly influence the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms among patients living in Denmark in a new real-world study. A diet rich in plant-based products was generally associated with a lower symptom burden than one high in red and processed meats. The same was true…
Diet and nutrition
A more pro-inflammatory diet is associated with a higher risk of relapses and more inflammatory brain lesions for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the years following their first disease attack, according to a recent study. However, dietary intake did not impact disability progression or the volume of lesions with…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: Surgical treatment of facial pain I’ve never heard of surgery being used as an MS treatment, but…
A protein called Mfsd2a, which transports molecules that contain omega-3 fatty acids, is essential for regulating cells that make the fatty coating on nerve fibers, or myelin sheath, that’s damaged in multiple sclerosis (MS), a study indicates. In mice lacking Mfsd2a, the cells that make myelin, or oligodendrocytes, fail…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: Yoga vs. physical therapy The MS News Today article “Yoga better than physical therapy at improving…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column in which I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: A positive report on orelabrutinib Orelabrutinib is one of several experimental Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK)…
People who drink black and green tea, coffee, and nonalcoholic beer may be significantly less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), a study in Iran has found. In contrast, consuming carbonated beverages, milk, and natural fruit juices seems to increase the chances of developing the neurodegenerative condition, according to…
Adherence to a high-quality diet may help alleviate symptoms of depression in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study from Australia suggests. The study examined several dietary regimens that have been developed to help manage MS symptoms generally by avoiding foods that might increase inflammation, a key driver…
After trying countless medications, Lacie Granstrom found some relief through diet, exercise, and letting go of “toxic relationships.” (Courtesy of Lacie Granstrom) Day 27 of 31 This is Lacie Granstrom‘s story: In January 2016, I was sitting on the floor playing with my…
Nassira and her husband, Dwayne Howse. (Photo courtesy of Nassira Powell) Day 14 of 31 This is Nassira Powell’s story: I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2018. Like many, I knew nothing about the disease and was left with many questions. My first appointment with a…
MS Australia is funding a study by researchers at Curtin University into how diet might affect multiple sclerosis (MS) onset in children. Led by Eleanor Dunlop, PhD, a dietitian and postdoctoral researcher at the Perth university’s School of Population Health, the study will investigate the influence different types of…
Following a Mediterranean diet may reduce the risk of cognitive problems, including with memory and thinking skills, in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a preliminary study suggests. The diet includes a high intake of fish, fruits, legumes, vegetables, and healthy fats (olive oil); and a low intake of meat,…
Limiting calorie intake over two days of each week for three months led to beneficial immune and metabolic changes, as well as improvements in cognitive function, among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), a study found. A restrictive diet also promoted a better body composition, namely a reduction in…
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…
An eight-week intermittent fasting intervention for people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) led to significant improvements in cognition and manual dexterity for these patients, who also tended to have lower fatigue and pain scores at the program’s end, an exploratory study showed.
Eating too much salt can disrupt the energy metabolism of regulatory T-cells (Tregs), which normally work to control inflammation and fight autoimmunity, prompting them to adopt an inflammatory profile similar to what’s seen in multiple sclerosis (MS) and other autoimmune diseases, a study found. Even a short-term exposure to…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: More remyelination research For years, most MS research has focused on stopping disease progression. In the past couple…
Treatment with docosahexaenoyl ethanolamide (DHEA), an omega-3 fatty acid found in fish oil, reduced inflammation and disease severity in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). These findings suggest that “an increase of omega-3 consumption may be beneficial to patients diagnosed with MS,” researchers said. “We believe our findings…
A tailored diet plan from a dietitian may help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) ingest more calcium from foods, which could make their bones stronger and less prone to osteoporosis. That’s according to data from CalciCoach (NCT02664623), a clinical study that compared the amount of dietary calcium consumed…
Using Mayzent (siponimod) and vitamin D3 as a combination therapy was found to improve motor function and promote remyelination — restoring the damaged myelin sheath around nerve fibers — in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS). “Our results demonstrate for the first time the potential synergistic effects…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” a weekly Monday morning column where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s been happening: Tysabri biosimilar on the horizon Tysabri (natalizumab) is a very effective disease-modifying therapy (DMT) for…
Summer is one of the cruelest times of year for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Thanks to Uhthoff’s syndrome, it’s hard to enjoy all the fun that comes with warm temperatures. I don’t seem to sweat anymore (not that it helps much in our high humidity), so I…
Supplementation with coconut oil and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a green tea extract, in combination with a Mediterranean-style diet, was associated with improvements in balance and gait in people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Those were the findings of a small pilot study in Spain, which also found that all participants,…
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…
Daily use of MS14, a natural product derived from Persian medicine, safely led to gains in physical activity and walking for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) with walking difficulties, according to data from a small placebo-controlled trial. MS14, which contains both herbal and marine ingredients, “could be used as…
Eating a lot of acidic foods like meat, eggs, cheese, and grains — and fewer alkaline ones, such as fruits, vegetables, and milk — is significantly associated with worse depression scores over five years among people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study found. “The level of depression at the…
A dietary supplement called Neuroaspis plp10 significantly lowered relapse rates and slowed disability progression among people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) on interferon beta medications, according to a small clinical trial in Greece. “The results of this study suggest that Neuroaspis plp10 may offer greater benefit to patients with RRMS…
Welcome to “MS News Notes,” where I comment on multiple sclerosis (MS) news stories that caught my eye last week. Here’s a look at what’s happening: Understanding stem cell therapy Researchers in Zurich wanted to understand what happens to the immune system of a person with MS undergoing a…
Dietary interventions may help ease fatigue and improve quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), although it doesn’t seem to impact disability progression, according to a new analysis. Researchers emphasized that it’s difficult to draw solid conclusions about the impact of diet in MS because there haven’t…