Diet In MS: What Role Does Sugar Play?

The results of a new study are alarming: people who are very overweight have a significantly increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). PraxisVITA explains the study and reveals which diet can promote MS.

More than 2.3 million people worldwide now suffer from multiple sclerosis (MS). With the disease, certain parts of the nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord become inflamed – this can lead to symptoms of paralysis, among other things. The cause of the disease is probably an interaction of various factors such as hereditary disposition and environmental influences. The results of a large-scale meta-analysis of 125 studies with around 340,000 participants now illustrate another MS factor: the wrong diet.

Poor diet increases the risk of MS

The researchers studied the DNA of the subjects and specifically looked for biomarkers that could indicate MS. In addition, they measured the respective body mass index (BMI). The data were reviewed after specific periods. The scientists found that people who were previously overweight according to the BMI (for women with a value of 25 and men with 26) and who had now become obese (with a value of 31) had a 40 percent higher risk to get MS. The analysis was published in the journal Plos Medicine.

The results are very important for health research because obesity is a major problem in many countries, the study authors explain. As early as 2014, a third of the world’s population was overweight, with people in the USA, China, and India being particularly affected. But the same applies in Germany: almost every second person is overweight or obese.

Obesity in youth

The new study is the first to establish a clear link between diet and MS. In 2014, however, a study was published in the magazine “Neurology” that showed a connection between obesity in adolescence and MS. At the time, researchers assumed that being overweight could trigger chronic inflammation that would cause the immune system to attack itself. However, this assumption could not be proven.

MS affects women two to three times more often than men. The reasons for this are still unclear today, as is the exact cause of the disease. Viruses appear to play a role, as do low vitamin D levels, according to previous research. However, how these factors are related remains unclear.