Multiple sclerosis: Healthful diet tied to lower risk
Eating a healthful diet that is rich in vegetables, fish, legumes, eggs, and poultry is tied to a lower risk of multiple sclerosis, a long-term disease that affects the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerve in the eyes.
This was the conclusion that researchers from Australia came to after studying links between diet and central nervous system (CNS) demyelination, which is often the first stage of multiple sclerosis (MS).
The condition occurs when there is loss of, or damage to, the fatty insulation surrounding nerve fibers that carry signals to and from brain cells.
The researchers analyzed data on nearly 700 people across Australia. They report their findings in a paper now published in the Multiple Sclerosis Journal.
"There are a number of known environmental risk factors for MS," explains lead study author Dr. Lucinda J. Black, from the School of Public Health at Curtin University in Perth, Australia.
She gives examples such as low levels of vitamin D, having had glandular fever, insufficient exposure to sunlight, and smoking.
However, as she and her colleagues note, the evidence on links between diet and MS was "inconclusive."
