Diet and nutrition

I have been fighting multiple sclerosis (MS) for seven years now. I’ve changed a lot since getting diagnosed. I’ve become more aware of my body and the ways MS has changed my life. Nothing stopped me from graduating from college, but I’ve still faced many challenges…

Higher levels of vitamin D in the blood may help to protect the myelin sheath, slowing damage to nerve cells in people with progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), a brain imaging study reports. The study, “Vitamin D and MRI measures in progressive multiple sclerosis,” was published in the…

Dark Rimmed Brain Lesions May Be Signal of Aggressive Disease, NIH Study Says Researchers in this study found that specific brain lesions, notable for their dark rims, may indicate that a patient’s multiple sclerosis is likely to progress quickly. They suggest that early detection of these lesions can help…

“Diet is profound. Lifestyle is profound. All patients should be taught how profound these things are.”  — Terry Wahls, MS thriver and founder of the Wahls Protocol  Western medicine has long approached multiple sclerosis (MS) and autoimmune disorders through traditional methods. While there have been…

Obesity may increase the risk for the development and progression of multiple sclerosis (MS) in children and teens, and it may prevent first-line MS therapies from working. Those findings were reported in the study “Association of Obesity With Multiple Sclerosis Risk and Response to First-line Disease…

FDA Approves Botox to Treat Upper Limb Spasticity in Children Aged 2 to 17 Botox injections have been approved to treat spasticity and bladder problems in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) for years. It’s encouraging to see pediatric-onset MS receiving more attention and approval for medications. As MS is…

One year of a vegetable-rich diet — combined with exercise, neuromuscular stimulation, and stress reduction techniques — is effective in easing fatigue in people with progressive multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers say the results may be linked to changes in blood fat levels, in particular cholesterol. This integrative…

Obesity, altered lipid (fat) levels, and elevated leptin — an hormone produced by fat cells — may contribute to neuroinflammation, and worse disease severity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), research has found. A study with the findings, titled “Obesity worsens central inflammation and disability in multiple…

I was at a church function last Saturday, chatting with the guest speaker and her mother, and I noticed that the older woman was making several trips to the dessert table. It was laden with everything you’d expect to see at a church potluck: banana pudding, pound cake, homemade cookies,…

In my recent conversation with Terry Wahls, MD, creator of the Wahls diet for multiple sclerosis (MS), she said something that resonated with me: “You can’t change your genes, but you can change your gene’s expression.” How true this statement is. However, it was only a few short years ago that Dr. Wahls’ diet protocol, and “food as medicine” philosophy was being met with strong criticism from the medical community. Nowadays, the modified paleolithic diet and lifestyle program she facilitates at the Wahls Institute in Iowa is being touted as the work of a visionary.

As strange as it is to think about, many bacteria live in the human body, most of which are found in the gut (often referred to as the gut microbiome). These bodily roommates affect health in many ways that are only beginning to be understood. …

When I read online posts from people who treat their multiple sclerosis (MS) with vitamins and supplements, I wonder how many of us do that. And if these supplements really help. The people at the Accelerated Cure Project, which surveys those living with MS about things such as this,…

An active form of vitamin D can modulate the activity of immune cells and prevent autoimmune reactions known to be involved in several human diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). A study with that finding, led by researchers from The University of Edinburgh in Scotland, reveals a new layer…

The amount of zinc, iron, and other minerals a person has in his or her diet is not associated with the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a study. The study, “Total intake of different minerals and the risk of multiple sclerosis,” was published…

I recently came across the article “Review of Two Popular Eating Plans within the Multiple Sclerosis Community: Low Saturated Fat and Modified Paleolithic,” published in the journal Nutrients, which compared the efficacy of the Swank diet and…

A daily cup of flavonoid-rich cocoa may help ease fatigue in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to the results of a small clinical trial. The study “A randomised double-blind placebo-controlled feasibility trial of flavonoid-rich cocoa for fatigue in people with relapsing and remitting multiple sclerosis” was…

Drinking about 290 calories of sugar-sweetened beverages — the equivalent of about two cans of non-diet soda — per day may be associated with a higher level of disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), compared to those who seldom consume such beverages, according to a preliminary study. The…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients eat a more limited diet, with a lower average of 31 nutrients, including zinc, thiamin, and iron, when compared with healthy controls, a study shows. Blood tests also showed that MS patients had significantly lower iron levels, a different fatty acid composition in their red blood…

Vitamins B12 and B9 (folic acid) supplements can lower levels of homocysteine (a common amino acid), improve anemia status, and boost self-reported physical health in patients with multiple sclerosis, according to new research. The study suggests a potential role for these two vitamins in improving the quality of life of MS patients. Despite treatment, MS patients often experience symptoms that interfere with their daily lives. Many patients have turned to dietary supplements with the hope they would reduce the severity of their symptoms. There is substantial literature suggesting the benefits of various supplements for MS, including vitamin B12 and folic acid. Homocysteine, of which high levels are associated with heart disease and detrimental effects in the nervous system, can be more prevalent in MS patients compared to healthy individuals. That suggests homocysteine is "one of the causative factors in the pathogenesis [development] of MS," researchers wrote. Lack of vitamin B12 — naturally found in meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products — can lead to a disruption in myelination, the process of forming a protective myelin coat around nerve cells. The loss of myelin is a hallmark of MS. A lack of folic acid, together with too little vitamin B12, has been linked to neurological symptom onset in MS patients. Meanwhile, vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements have shown promising results among these patients. In addition, MS patients are known to have an increased risk for the development of megaloblastic anemia — a condition in which the bone marrow produces unusually large, immature red blood cells referred to as megaloblasts. The most common causes of megaloblastic anemia are a deficiency of either vitamin B12 or folic acid. Based on these observations, researchers from Urmia University of Medical Sciences and Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, in Iran, studied the effects of vitamin B12 and folic acid supplements in  relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) patients. The team looked specifically at serum homocysteine levels, anemia status, and quality of life. This double-blinded clinical trial (IRCT2015100313678N7) enrolled 50 RRMS patients (age 20-40 years), who were divided into two groups: the vitamin group, which received three doses of 1 mg vitamin B12 injection (spaced a month apart) plus 5 mg folic acid tablets daily; and the placebo group, which received neutral saline injections. All participants completed two quality-of-life questionnaires, one geared toward physical health and the other toward mental health, at the start and end of the study. Blood samples were collected from all participants, and blood pressure readings were taken. Results showed a drop in average homocysteine blood serum levels in the vitamin group, which may be indicative of an improvement in nervous system health. Researchers also observed a decrease in mean corpuscular volume (MCV) in the vitamin group, which is indicative of improved anemia status. At the end of the study the vitamin group showed improvements in both physical and mental fields in the quality-of-life questionnaires. However, RRMS patients in the control group (without vitamin supplements) also had an increase in the quality-of-life questionnaire for mental health, obscuring any conclusions on the effect of vitamin supplements in MS patients’ mental health. “Results of the present study have shown that homocysteine levels, anemia status, and eventually the quality of life of patients with MS can be significantly improved by administration of 1 mg of vitamin B12 monthly and adding rich-food sources of folic acid on their diet,” the researchers wrote. The team nonetheless emphasizes that "further studies in the field of MS dietary patterns must be conducted."

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question is inspired by the forum topic “Have you tried the high dose biotin protocol?“, from…

To grasp the connection between vitamin D and multiple sclerosis (MS), it is first important to understand this vitamin’s power. It is one of the “superhero” vitamins needed to help keep our bodies functioning properly. According to the Cleveland Clinic, vitamin D is essential for us to absorb the…

Editor’s note: “Need to Know” is a series inspired by common forum questions and comments from readers. Have a comment or question about MS? Visit our forum. This week’s question was inspired by the forum topic “Do you know any natural remedies that help fight inflammation?“, from May…

Multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who reported food allergies showed a 27 percent higher cumulative rate of flare-ups over the course of their disease, and more than twice the likelihood of having active inflammatory lesions, a new study shows. The study, “Food Allergies are Associated with Increased Disease Activity…

Lipoic acid (LA), an over-the-counter antioxidant supplement, helps to mildly delay a decline in walking speed in secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS) patients, particularly those with lesser disability, analysis of a small, two-year clinical study reports. No improvements were seen in balance among…

When I first met Stephanie in March, she was like any healthy 28-year-old coming in to see me for a nutrition consult. Her positive attitude and bright smile filled the room as she told me about her job as a grade school teacher and the new apartment she…

Changeable lifestyle factors influence the risk and severity of depression associated with multiple sclerosis (MS), a study based on a large group of patients shows. According to the study, alcohol consumption in particular was linked negatively with depression incidence and severity. In addition, a healthy diet and vitamin D and omega-3 supplementation…

Researchers at Yale uncovered a way that high-salt diets may trigger inflammation and possibly contribute to the development of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). Their study, “Activated β-catenin in Foxp3+ regulatory T cells links inflammatory environments to autoimmunity,” was recently published in the journal Nature…

High vitamin D levels predict better cognitive function, while smoking is associated with worse long-term cognitive disability in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), a study suggests. Data from the study was presented by Marianna Cortese, MD, PhD, from the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan…

Being overweight is associated with accelerated grey matter volume loss in the brain, a mark of 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.

A person’s genes influence the development of multiple sclerosis (MS), but so does the environment — both that in which an MS patient lives, and that which a patient creates through diet and other lifestyle choices, researchers said in a Thursday session at the 34th congress of the European…