probiotics

Probiotic eased pain and fatigue in RRMS, trial data show

A commercial probiotic supplement containing the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii significantly eased pain and fatigue, and improved mental health and quality of life, in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), according to data from a clinical trial in Iran. The probiotic, BioDigest, also reduced inflammation and oxidative stress, a form…

Probiotics Likely To Be of Help With RRMS, Meta-analysis Finds

Probiotic supplements could ease disability, lessen depression, and improve overall health in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (MS), according to an analysis of four randomized clinical trials. Physicians working with these patients might recommend “confirmed probiotic supplements” to help manage “MS concerns,” its scientists wrote, while noting that studies…

#ACTRIMS2020 – 3 Ways to Treat MS by Altering Gut Microbiome Under Study

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

MS News that Caught My Eye Last Week: AHSCT Trial Enlisting, Interferon-beta and Pregnancy, Probiotics, Language and Brain Health

New Trial Compares Stem Cell Treatment to Available Therapies for Severe Relapsing MS This is a biggie. The U.S. National Institutes of Health is conducting a head to head study comparing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) to the high-efficacy, disease-modifying therapies currently being used: Tysabri, Lemtrada, Ocrevus, and…

Probiotics Consumption May Improve Certain Disease Parameters in MS Patients, Study Suggests

Probiotics may improve the health of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) by reducing disability and improving inflammatory and metabolic parameters, an Iranian study shows. Live microorganisms linked to health benefits, known as probiotics, have long been known to help chronic disease patients. In a previous study of people with major depressive disorder, probiotics treatment for eight weeks improved patientsā€™ depression and metabolic parameters. More recently, authors investigated the impact of probiotics on a group of MS patients, looking not only at mental health and metabolic indicators, but also disability scores. Researchers at Tehran's Shahid Beheshti Hospital recruited 60 MS patients, divided them in half, and assigned 30 to take a probiotic capsule and 30 a placebo once a day for 12 weeks. The probiotic contained the healthy bacteria Lactobacillus acidophilus, Lactobacillus casei, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Lactobacillus fermentum. Researchers measured patientsā€™ health parameters and disability scores at baseline and after treatment. The results showed that probiotic intake after 12 weeks improved MS patients' disability scores (assessed by the expanded disability status scale, EDSS) when compared to placebo controls. Although this improvement was statistically significant, it was not clinically significant ā€” which is defined as a change of 1.0 point or more at EDSS levels less than 5.5, or 0.5 point or more at EDSS levels greater than 5.5). Moreover, benefits were also detected in several mental health parameters ā€“ Beck Depression Inventory, general health questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28), depression anxiety and stress scale. Consuming probiotic capsules also significantly decreased insulin levels and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in circulation, researchers also found. It also lowered certain markers of inflammation and oxidative stress, such as serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and malondialdehyde (MDA).

High Levels of Pro-Inflammatory Immune Cells in Intestines May Promote MS Activity, Study Reports

People with multiple sclerosis have high levels of pro-inflammatory TH17 immune cells in their intestines that correlate with change in the micro-organism mix in their gut and the levels of their disease activity, a study reports. Researchers said the findings suggest that diet, probiotics and therapies that regulate TH17 cells could help treat MS. Probiotics are supplements containing beneficial bacteria. The study, ā€œHigh frequency of intestinal TH17 cells correlates with microbiota alterations and disease activity in multiple sclerosis,ā€ was published in the journal Science. Research has shown that TH17 cells, also known as T helper 17 cells, play a role in the development of MS. In fact, they were the first harmful immune T-cells to infiltrate the central nervous system, according to studies in animals Where TH17 cells become activated has been unclear, however. Studies in mice suggested it was mainly in the small intestine. Research has also indicated that their activation increases the potential for a person to develop an autoimmune brain disease like multiple sclerosis. An autoimmune disease occurs when the immune system, which defends the body against disease, decides that a person's healthy cells are foreign, and attacks those cells. Researchers decided to see if the findings in mouse models of MS applied to people with the disease. They discovered a link between higher levels of TH17 cells in MS patients' intestines and autoimmune brain problems. They also found a correlation between higher levels of TH17 cells and changes in patients' gut microbiome. The team then identified which bacteria were changing in the gut. Patients with increased levels of TH17 cells and higher disease activity had a higher ratio of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes bacteria and more Streptococcus strains in their gut, particularly Streptococcus mitis and Streptococcus oralis. Previous studies have shown that these species promote TH17 cell differentiation in humans. Cell differentiation involves a cell transforming from one cell type to another ā€” usually a more specialized type. This dramatically changes a cell's size, shape, metabolic ā€” or fuel-burning ā€” activity, and responsiveness to signals. Some studies have suggested a link between T-cell differentiation and brain autoimmune diseases. ā€œOn the basis of our findings, we speculate that, under certain conditions, or because of still unknown virulence factors, these Streptococcus strains can colonize the small intestine and favor TH17 cell differentiation in the human gut mucosa [linings],ā€ researchers wrote. In addition to more Streptococcus bacteria, the team detected lower levels of Prevotella bacteria in MS patients with disease activity than in healthy controls or patients with no disease activity. This decrease may also promote TH17 cell differentiation because ā€œPrevotella is capable of producing the anti-inflammatory metabolite propionate that limits intestinal TH17 cell expansion in mice," the researchers wrote. Overall, the team concluded that ā€œour data demonstrate that brain autoimmunity is associated with specific microbiota modifications and excessive TH17 cell expansion in the human intestine.ā€ The findings suggest that regulating TH17 cell expansion, along with changes in diet aimed at regulating intestinal linings, could be ways to help treat MS.

#ACTRIMS2017 – MS, the Gut and Probiotics

Harold Weiner, MD, believes in using probiotics to help treat multiple sclerosis.Ā He is such a believer that he did a presentation on the subject ā€” “Probiotics in Multiple Sclerosis” ā€” at the just-concluded Americas for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) 2017 Forum in Orlando. The event…