supplements

Taking sugar molecule supplements may help ease inflammation in MS

Taking supplements of the sugar molecule N-acetylglucosamine, known as GlcNAc, was found to decrease markers of inflammation in people with multiple sclerosis (MS) in a small clinical trial. Moreover, nearly a third of trial participants reported less severe disability following a month of daily GlcNAc supplements. However, because this…

Expert Voices: Exploring the connection between vitamin D and MS

In this installment of our ā€œExpert Voicesā€ series, Multiple Sclerosis News Today asked Kassandra Munger to answer some of your questions about the connection between vitamin D levels and multiple sclerosis (MS). Munger received her bachelor’s in biology from the University of Rochester in 1997, master’s in…

Expert Voices: Diet and nutrition for people with multiple sclerosis

In this installment of our “Expert Voices” series, Multiple Sclerosis News Today asked registered dietitian Mona BostickĀ to answer some of your questions related to diet and nutrition for people with multiple sclerosis (MS). Bostick, who has MS, works in private practice in Greensboro, North Carolina, where she helps…

Of Mice and Men (and MS Research)

The other day, I was watching an arts documentary instead of another repeat of a movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was about John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath,” of which I’m a fan. The headline for a column I’d been mulling for some time about MS mouse research…

Vitamin B12, Folic Acid Supplements Yield Multiple Benefits for MS Patients

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 withĀ multiple sclerosis, according to new research. The study suggestsĀ 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 ā€” naturally found in meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products ā€” 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 ā€” a condition in which the bone marrow produces unusually large, immature red blood cells referred to as megaloblasts. TheĀ most common causes ofĀ megaloblastic anemia are a deficiency of either vitamin B12Ā or folic acid. Based on these observations,Ā researchers from Urmia University of Medical Sciences and Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, in Iran, studied the effects ofĀ vitamin B12Ā and folic acid supplements inĀ Ā relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS)Ā 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:Ā 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 theĀ placebo group, which receivedĀ 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.Ā 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 patientsā€™ mental health. ā€œResults 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,ā€ the researchers wrote. The team nonetheless emphasizes that "further studies in the field of MS dietary patterns must be conducted."

Do Supplements Add Up?

It started with vitamin D. Little did I know I was starting a habit. I had my first sclerosis attack in 2006 and learned about it by having an appalling fall on a tennis court. That’s another story.Ā I haven’t written about that yet, but I’m sure I will.

Is Your Doctor’s Business Interfering With Your Treatment?

One of my favorite movie lines appears in “Jerry Maguire.” Sports-agent Maguire is trying to convince one of his football-player clients to stay with him and the client keeps insisting: “Show me the money.” I got to thinking of that line the other evening, while reading a Facebook post…

#CMSC16 – MS Experts Agree on Benefits of Vitamin D Supplements, Despite Mostly Circumstantial Evidence

A roundtable discussion, provided as a webinarĀ organized by theĀ Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC)Ā in advance of its June conference, considered the role of vitamin D in multiple sclerosis (MS). Researchers concluded that, while evidence is only circumstantialĀ as to theĀ vitamin’s ability to prevent disease relapses, its multiple health benefits justify…