The Role of Diet and Interventions on Multiple Sclerosis: A Review

Overview

Journal Nutrients

Date 2022 Mar 26

PMID 35334810

Authors

Panagiotis Stoiloudis

Evangelia Kesidou

Christos Bakirtzis

Styliani-Aggeliki Sintila

Natalia Konstantinidou

Marina Boziki

Nikolaos Grigoriadis

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by inflammation and neurodegeneration. The most prominent clinical features include visual loss and sensorimotor symptoms and mainly affects those of young age. Some of the factors affecting its pathogenesis are genetic and/or environmental including viruses, smoking, obesity, and nutrition. Current research provides evidence that diet may influence MS onset, course, and quality of life of the patients. In this review, we address the role of nutrition on MS pathogenesis as well as dietary interventions that show promising beneficial results with respect to MS activity and progression. Investigation with large prospective clinical studies is required in order to thoroughly evaluate the role of diet in MS.

Citing Articles

Recent advances in mesenchymal stem cell therapy for multiple sclerosis: clinical applications and challenges.

Sheikhi K, Ghaderi S, Firouzi H, Rahimibarghani S, Shabani E, Afkhami H Front Cell Dev Biol. 2025; 13:1517369.

PMID: 39963155 PMC: 11830822. DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2025.1517369.

Nutritional Intervention in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis, Correlation with Quality of Life and Disability-A Prospective and Quasi-Experimental Study.

Metaxouli K, Tsiou C, Dokoutsidou E, Margari N NeuroSci. 2025; 6(1.

PMID: 39846563 PMC: 11755478. DOI: 10.3390/neurosci6010004.

Vitamin, antioxidant and micronutrient supplementation and the risk of developing incident autoimmune diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Low C, Loke S, Chew N, Lee A, Tay S Front Immunol. 2024; 15:1453703.

PMID: 39717776 PMC: 11663920. DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1453703.

Global burden of multiple sclerosis and its attributable risk factors, 1990-2019.

Safiri S, Ghaffari Jolfayi A, Mousavi S, Nejadghaderi S, Sullman M, Kolahi A Front Neurol. 2024; 15:1448377.

PMID: 39524915 PMC: 11545682. DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2024.1448377.

The Probable Infectious Origin of Multiple Sclerosis.

Landry R, Embers M NeuroSci. 2024; 4(3):211-234.

PMID: 39483197 PMC: 11523707. DOI: 10.3390/neurosci4030019.

References

Lee W, Loo C, Bebawy M, Luk F, Mason R, Rohanizadeh R . Curcumin and its derivatives: their application in neuropharmacology and neuroscience in the 21st century. Curr Neuropharmacol. 2014; 11(4):338-78. PMC: 3744901. DOI: 10.2174/1570159X11311040002. View

de Oliveira C, de Mattos A, Biz C, Oyama L, Ribeiro E, Oller do Nascimento C . High-fat diet and glucocorticoid treatment cause hyperglycemia associated with adiponectin receptor alterations. Lipids Health Dis. 2011; 10:11. PMC: 3031255. DOI: 10.1186/1476-511X-10-11. View

Altowaijri G, Fryman A, Yadav V . Dietary Interventions and Multiple Sclerosis. Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep. 2017; 17(3):28. DOI: 10.1007/s11910-017-0732-3. View

Lublin F, Reingold S, Cohen J, Cutter G, Soelberg Sorensen P, Thompson A . Defining the clinical course of multiple sclerosis: the 2013 revisions. Neurology. 2014; 83(3):278-86. PMC: 4117366. DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000000560. View

Chen J, Chia N, Kalari K, Yao J, Novotna M, Paz Soldan M . Multiple sclerosis patients have a distinct gut microbiota compared to healthy controls. Sci Rep. 2016; 6:28484. PMC: 4921909. DOI: 10.1038/srep28484. View

Dobson R, Cock H, Brex P, Giovannoni G . Vitamin D supplementation. Pract Neurol. 2017; 18(1):35-42. DOI: 10.1136/practneurol-2017-001720. View

Moles L, Otaegui D . The Impact of Diet on Microbiota Evolution and Human Health. Is Diet an Adequate Tool for Microbiota Modulation?. Nutrients. 2020; 12(6). PMC: 7352211. DOI: 10.3390/nu12061654. View

Mao P, Reddy P . Is multiple sclerosis a mitochondrial disease?. Biochim Biophys Acta. 2009; 1802(1):66-79. PMC: 2790545. DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2009.07.002. View

Rito Y, Torre-Villalvazo I, Flores J, Rivas V, Corona T . Epigenetics in Multiple Sclerosis: Molecular Mechanisms and Dietary Intervention. Cent Nerv Syst Agents Med Chem. 2016; 18(1):8-15. DOI: 10.2174/1871524916666160226131842. View

10.

Boziki M, Kesidou E, Theotokis P, Mentis A, Karafoulidou E, Melnikov M . Microbiome in Multiple Sclerosis; Where Are We, What We Know and Do Not Know. Brain Sci. 2020; 10(4). PMC: 7226078. DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10040234. View

11.

Miller E, Dziedzic A, Saluk-Bijak J, Bijak M . A Review of Various Antioxidant Compounds and their Potential Utility as Complementary Therapy in Multiple Sclerosis. Nutrients. 2019; 11(7). PMC: 6682972. DOI: 10.3390/nu11071528. View

12.

Evans E, Levasseur V, Cross A, Piccio L . An overview of the current state of evidence for the role of specific diets in multiple sclerosis. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2019; 36:101393. DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2019.101393. View

13.

Xiao S, Jin H, Korn T, Liu S, Oukka M, Lim B . Retinoic acid increases Foxp3+ regulatory T cells and inhibits development of Th17 cells by enhancing TGF-beta-driven Smad3 signaling and inhibiting IL-6 and IL-23 receptor expression. J Immunol. 2008; 181(4):2277-84. PMC: 2722959. DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.181.4.2277. View

14.

Pierrot-Deseilligny C, Souberbielle J . Vitamin D and multiple sclerosis: An update. Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2017; 14:35-45. DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2017.03.014. View

15.

Santangelo C, Vari R, Scazzocchio B, De Sanctis P, Giovannini C, DArchivio M . Anti-inflammatory Activity of Extra Virgin Olive Oil Polyphenols: Which Role in the Prevention and Treatment of Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases?. Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets. 2017; 18(1):36-50. DOI: 10.2174/1871530317666171114114321. View

16.

Salzer J, Hallmans G, Nystrom M, Stenlund H, Wadell G, Sundstrom P . Vitamin D as a protective factor in multiple sclerosis. Neurology. 2012; 79(21):2140-5. DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e3182752ea8. View

17.

Pathak D, Berthet A, Nakamura K . Energy failure: does it contribute to neurodegeneration?. Ann Neurol. 2013; 74(4):506-16. PMC: 4092015. DOI: 10.1002/ana.24014. View

18.

Sand I . The Role of Diet in Multiple Sclerosis: Mechanistic Connections and Current Evidence. Curr Nutr Rep. 2018; 7(3):150-160. PMC: 6132382. DOI: 10.1007/s13668-018-0236-z. View

19.

Lee D, Gold R, Linker R . Mechanisms of oxidative damage in multiple sclerosis and neurodegenerative diseases: therapeutic modulation via fumaric acid esters. Int J Mol Sci. 2012; 13(9):11783-11803. PMC: 3472775. DOI: 10.3390/ijms130911783. View

20.

Bagur M, Murcia M, Jimenez-Monreal A, Tur J, Bibiloni M, Alonso G . Influence of Diet in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review. Adv Nutr. 2017; 8(3):463-472. PMC: 5421121. DOI: 10.3945/an.116.014191. View