- Researchers analyzed the effects of a Mediterranean diet on cognitive impairment in MS patients.
- They found that stricter adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment.
- Further studies are needed to confirm the results.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the brain and central nervous system.symptoms include Fatigue, movement disorders, numbness.
around it
According to research,
The cause of MS is unknown and currently there is no cure. Treatment usually focuses on relieving symptoms and slowing progression.
The Mediterranean diet is a varied diet that includes minimally processed foods, limited amounts of red meat, moderate amounts of dairy and poultry.
- fish
- vegetable
- whole grain
- beans
- fruit
- Mono- or polyunsaturated fatty acids such as olive oil
Further research into how dietary factors affect MS may improve quality of life for patients with this condition.
Recently, researchers investigated the effects of the Mediterranean diet on cognition in MS patients.
They found that greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment.
“Cognitive impairment can affect more than 50% of MS patients, and there is currently no effective pharmacological treatment. Barbara GieserA neurologist and multiple sclerosis specialist at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., said he was not involved in the study. medical news today.
“Lifestyle strategies that help protect or maintain normal cognitive function are very important in helping people with MS live their best lives.
This research American Academy of Neurology 75th Annual Meeting.
For this study, researchers recruited 563 people with MS. Each completed a questionnaire to record how well they adhered to the Mediterranean diet. Scores ranged from 0 to 14. Participants were divided into various groups. Those with scores of 0-4 were the least adherent to the Mediterranean diet, while those with scores of 9 and above were the most adherent to the diet.
Participants also took three tests that assessed thinking and memory. From these tests, they found that 108 of her participants, or 19.2%, had cognitive impairment.
After analyzing the results, researchers found that patients who followed the Mediterranean diet most closely had a 20% lower risk of cognitive impairment than those who followed the least.
This relationship was maintained after adjusting for confounding factors such as demographic factors and health factors such as sleep disturbances, diabetes and hypertension.
“Among health-related factors, the level of dietary alignment with the Mediterranean pattern was the strongest predictor of people’s cognitive scores and whether they met study criteria for cognitive impairment,” the study authors said. I’m here. Dr. Ilana Katz Sandof the Icahn School of Medicine, Mount Sinai, New York, NY, and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, in a press release.
“This way of eating provides a high-quality diet that contains not only essential nutrients, but also a variety of nutrients found in nature.
“Oxidative stress has been suggested to play a major role in multiple sclerosis, causing cell damage and neurodegeneration. [Hypotheses suggest] The Mediterranean diet may provide bioactive substances that may protect against oxidative stress, or may provide other protective mechanisms,” she said.
“The mechanism is [Mediterranean] Diet may help protect cognition. This includes potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, reduction of co-morbidities that can affect cognition such as hypertension, and the potential for negative effects on food and cognition that may contribute to co-morbidities. This includes replacing certain foods with healthier foods. processed foods,” added Dr. Gieser.
“This type of study design provides insight into the association, but not the exact mechanism of how it works. [the] Dieting may provide benefits,” Pendleton pointed out.
Observational studies are important in this respect, says Pendleton. [but] Future interventional clinical trials will help clarify our understanding and strengthen our ability to make specific recommendations. ”
“Currently, there is a paucity of long-term intervention trials when it comes to nutritional approaches for various brain health outcomes, including multiple sclerosis. There are often discrepancies between the results of observational and intervention studies in the field,” she added.
“Thus, while this study certainly contributes to our current understanding of how diet may be linked to multiple sclerosis, we are patient and will continue to seek meaning and clinical relevance. Care must be taken when extrapolating.
Pendleton says research into nutrition and multiple sclerosis is just beginning and more research is needed before any conclusions can be drawn.
“[I] Either way, I don’t see any downsides to those adopting the Mediterranean diet. This is a very health-promoting way of eating and may help reduce risk and manage other conditions.
— Megan Pendleton, RD
However, she said there is still no clear definition of what the Mediterranean diet is, and diet is not about specific foods but about general eating patterns.
“This is an important point because diets have to be culturally flexible in order to incorporate traditional foods from all types of cuisines. I think we are inadvertently providing ethnic-centric recommendations that are insensitive to and may not be helpful to our patients,” she concluded.
