A dietary defence against MS reveals promising findings

MS occurs when the body’s immune system attacks its own nerves. This can lead to trouble with walking, muscle control, balance, vision, and thinking clearly. While doctors aren’t exactly sure what causes MS, both genetics and the environment, including diet, seem to play a role.

The study, published in the journal Advanced Science, looked at how people’s diets around the world are related to MS. Researchers used global data and also did experiments on mice with a condition similar to MS, called EAE (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis).

They found that in countries where people eat a lot of carbohydrates like sugars and starches found in bread, pasta, and processed foods there are often more cases of MS. But in places where people eat more fats such as oils, nuts, avocados, and fatty fish the disease is less common.

Nepean Hospital’s Clinical Director for Women and Children’s Health, Professor Ralph Nanan, one of the study’s lead authors, says the research shows a strong link between diet and MS.

“A high-fat, low-carb diet seemed to protect the mice from the disease completely. It stopped their immune systems from attacking their own bodies,” says Ralph.

In the study, mice that were fed a diet high in carbohydrates got sicker and showed signs of nerve damage. But mice that ate the same amount of food, just with different nutrients (less carbs and more fat), didn’t get sick at all.

The high-fat diet helped reduce swelling and inflammation in the brain and spinal cord, two major problems in MS. It also made certain immune cells become calmer and more helpful instead of harmful.

“These immune cells started acting differently. They made more of a substance that helps fight inflammation, allowing the body to protect itself instead of attacking it,” Ralph explains.

The diet also changed how genes inside the immune cells worked, which researchers think might help keep the immune system in balance over time.

While the results are exciting, the research team issue a reminder that the findings are based on mice, not humans. They hope to do more research and eventually test the diet in people who have MS or who are at risk of developing it.

“This isn’t a cure, and we’re not saying people should change their diets without talking to a doctor, but our study opens the door to the idea that what we eat could really help prevent or manage autoimmune diseases like MS,” says Ralph.

Full findings from the study are available to view online in journal, Advanced Science.