March 1, 2024 News by Marisa Wexler, MS ACTRIMS 2024: Molecule made by gut bacteria seen to ease MS in mice 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…
July 28, 2023 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gut bacteria may be key to activate immune cells that trigger 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…
March 30, 2023 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Bacterial toxin epsilon in gut may be environmental driver of MS A bacterial toxin in the gut ā specifically, the epsilon toxin produced by Clostridium perfringensĀ bacteria in the intestinal tract ā 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…
September 26, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Gut Bacteria, Strength Training, Robots, Gilenya Patent 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…
September 19, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS Gut Bacteria Are Altered in MS, Linked to Disease Progression 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…
February 2, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD How Eating Meat Affects MS via Gut Microbiome, Immune Cells Detailed 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 inĀ Bacteriodes thetaiotaomicron, a common gut bacteriaĀ that works…
January 17, 2022 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye Last Week: Epstein-Barr Virus, EHP-101, Anti-CD20 Therapies, Gut Bacteria 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…
January 11, 2022 News by Marisa Wexler, MS High Levels of Gut Bacterial Toxins Found in Spinal Fluid of MS Patients 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…
July 16, 2021 News by Somi Igbene, PhD Isoflavone-rich Diet Boosts Gut Health, Lessening MS Severity 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 ā a plant-based compound ā developed diverse and abundant gut bacteria, particularly isoflavone-digesting bacteria, which produced compounds that…
March 16, 2020 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Metabolite of Gut Bacteria, as Supplement, May Regulate Immune System A short-chain fatty acid produced by gut bacteria helps to counteract inflammatory responses in multiple sclerosis (MS) by promoting greater numbers of regulatory immune cells, a study reports. But the bacterial composition of the gut (its microbiome) of MS patients is deficient in bacteria that produce this acid ā…
May 23, 2019 News by Ana Pena PhD Stress-induced Changes in Gut Bacteria May Increase Risk of Autoimmune Disorders, Mouse Study Suggests Stress-induced changes in gut bacteria, or gut microbiota, may play a significant part in the possible link between exposure to stress and the risk of autoimmune disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), a mouse research study says. In the study ā…
November 1, 2018 News by Alice MelĆ£o, MSc Protein Produced by Common Gut Bacteria Can Trigger Autoimmunity, Study Suggests Bacteria that reside in human gut may trigger autoimmune reactions by producing human-like proteins that mimic a naturally occurring and crucial cell protein. Researchers at Queenās University Belfast in Ireland report that patients with autoimmune disorders ā such as multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcerative colitis ā have…
October 29, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Cannabis Pill, Stem Cells in Outer Space, Gut Bacteria and T-cells, Herpes and MS Stanford Researchers Open Medical Cannabis Company with Oral Therapy for MS Pain, Spasticity as Initial Goal Let’s be clear up front. There’s no indication that you’ll be able to buy a cannabis pill from this company anytime soon ā or ever. The company’s website says that testing…
July 11, 2018 Columns by Cathy Chester Research Shows Immune System Bacteria Link to MS Lately, much of my work has been focused on the relationship between the gut and MS. As I experience ongoing gut issues, I need to learn how to advocate for myself by learning as much as I can about gut bacteria and finding the right…
February 26, 2018 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: Mediterranean Diet, Medical Marijuana, Ocrevus, Myelin Repair Pilot Study Is Testing Whether Mediterranean Diet Can Help MS Patients There’s been a good deal of news recently about the possibility that bacteria in our stomachs have an impact on our MS. There’s also been talk, for a long time, about whether certain diets can improve…
October 25, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #MSParis2017 – Researchers Suggest Propionic Acid Could Be Used as Add-on Treatment in MS Propionic acid supplements alter the composition and behavior of immune cells in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients ā likely by changing the composition of gut bacteria, according to Alexander Duscha from Ruhr University BochumĀ in Bochum, Germany. The finding, presented Wednesday at the 7th Joint ECTRIMS-ACTRIMS MeetingĀ running in Paris…
September 18, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye: Probiotics, Gut Bacteria, Ocrevus, and a Pain Pill Probiotics Consumption May Improve Certain Disease Parameters in MS Patients, Study Suggests Probiotics (bacteria that help move food through your gut)Ā have been used for years to help treat stomach disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and some types of diarrhea. More recently, researchers have…
August 14, 2017 Columns by Ed Tobias MS News That Caught My Eye This Week: Study Volunteers Wanted, MS and the Flu, Iron and Pediatric MS, Botox University of California at San Francisco Recruiting MS Patients for Gut Bacteria Study Last year, a Harvard study reported significant differences between bacteria that MS patients have in their bellies and that found inĀ those who don’t have MS. If that bacteria is treated, those MS-related changes might…
August 11, 2017 News by Patricia Silva, PhD University of California at San Francisco Recruiting MS Patients for Gut Bacteria Study University of California medical school researchersĀ are looking for multiple sclerosisĀ patients who want to participate in an international study of the bacteria that live in our gut. The University of California at San FranciscoĀ team decided to study the gut microbiome after recent evidence suggested that it is critical in…
May 24, 2017 Columns by Cathy Chester Is There a Link Between Gut Bacteria and Multiple Sclerosis? The past year has taken its toll on my digestive system. Iāve experienced alarming amounts of pain, bloating, diarrhea, and more fatigue than I normally experience from MS. All of these issues caused great stress both emotionally and physically, so it was no surprise when my…
September 15, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD #ECTRIMS2016 – Immune Cells Linked to Autoimmunity Found in MS Patients’ Gut Immune cells, believed to drive autoimmunity, are selectively increased in the gut of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), along with lower numbers of cells controlling inflammation, suggesting that immune processes in the gut impact MS disease mechanisms. The study, āThe role of gut immunity in multiple sclerosis patients,ā…
July 25, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Gut Bacteria and Multiple Sclerosis: What We Already Know, and What We’ve Still to Learn Gut bacteria and health have been topics of considerable scientific speculation in recent years,Ā and the field of multiple sclerosis (MS) research is no exception. But what do we really know about MS and our intestinal inhabitants? A review,Ā āEmerging Concepts on the Gut Microbiome and Multiple Sclerosis,āĀ published in…
April 27, 2016 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Gut Bacteria Affects Myelin Content and Induces MS-Like Depression in Mice, Study Reports Researchers atĀ the Center of Excellence for Myelin Repair, a part of Mount Sinai, reportedĀ that gut bacteria produce compounds that were seen to affect theĀ myelinĀ content in mice and cause social avoidance behaviors. StudyĀ results indicated that targeting gut bacteria, or the gut metabolites, mightĀ help in treatingĀ neuropsychiatric disorders or complications, such as those…
October 23, 2015 News by Patricia Silva, PhD Autoimmune Flare-Ups in Multiple Sclerosis May Be Influenced by Dietary Fat Results from a recent study published in the journal Immunity indicate thatĀ dietary fat has an influence in the duration and severity of autoimmune flare-ups in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. The team of researchers also showed that adjusting the length of the fatty acids consumed by…