A High-Fat Diet Could Increase Risk of MS Relapse

Diets with high fat intake are associated with increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) relapse in children with MS, while diets high in vegetables could be protective, according to the results of a recent study.

Children with MS have a higher relapse rate than adults with the condition, and little is known about the effects of diet on relapse rates.
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For their study, researchers included 219 patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) with disease onset before age 18 years and a duration less than 4 years. The Block Kids Food Screener was used to evaluate dietary intake the week before enrolment.

Overall, every 10% increase in energy intake from fat was associated with a 56% increase in the hazard of relapse (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 1.56) while every 10% increase in saturated fat tripled this hazard (HR 3.37).

However, every additional cup of equivalent vegetable was associated with a 50% decreased risk of hazard (adjusted HR 0.50).

“This study suggests that in children with MS, high energy intake from fat, especially saturated fat, may increase the hazard to relapse, while vegetable intake may be independently protective.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Azary S, Schreiner T, Graves J, et al. Contribution of dietary intake to relapse rate in early paediatric multiple sclerosis [published online October 9, 2017]. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2017-315936.