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3 New Things About MS

Highlights of recent findings about multiple sclerosis are summarized in this slide show.

Multiple sclerosis affects more than 400,000 Americans and an estimated 2.5 million persons worldwide. The disease has evolved from untreatable to one for which many disease-modifying therapy options are available for patients with relapsing MS, and new therapies are in the pipeline.Highlights of recent findings about MS are summarized in this slide show. Key take-home points:
• Coffee intake may protect against MS, supporting the idea that caffeine may have protective effects for the brain.
• Women with MS may consume lower amounts of 5 antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients: magnesium, folate (from food), vitamin E, lutein-zeaxanthin, and quercetin.
• Identification of the pathological progression of MS may lead to new treatment options. 

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High levels of coffee consumption may reduce the odds of developing MS. Two population-based case-control studies characterized coffee consumption among those with MS at 1 and 5 years before MS symptoms began and compared it with coffee consumption of persons who did not have MS during similar periods. In a US study, persons who did not drink coffee were about 1 1/2 times more likely to develop MS than those who drank 4 or more cups/d of coffee in the year before symptoms started. In a Swedish study, those who did not drink coffee had about a 1 1/2 times increased risk of MS compared with persons who drank at least 6 cups/d during the year before symptoms appeared. https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/GetDigitalAsset/11535

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Drinking large amounts of coffee 5 or 10 years before symptoms started was similarly protective. "Caffeine intake has been associated with a reduced risk of Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, and our study shows that coffee intake may also protect against MS,” said study author Ellen Mowry, MD, MCR, with Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. Researchers will present their results at the American Academy of Neurology’s 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, April 18 to 25, 2015.

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Women with MS may have a lower intake of 5 antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients that may play an important role in the disease. The recent increasing incidence of MS has led to the hypothesis that dietary or nutritional changes related to inflammation and neurological health may contribute to disease risk. https://www.aan.com/PressRoom/Home/GetDigitalAsset/11530

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Researchers at Johns Hopkins University asked 27 women with MS and 30 healthy volunteers to complete a food frequency questionnaire over 1 year. The 5 antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients consumed in lower amounts by women with MS were magnesium, folate (from food), Vitamin E, lutein-zeaxanthin, and quercetin.

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Women with MS also consumed a lower percentage of their calories from fat than did healthy controls. Whether these differences are a cause or result of MS is not clear. Women with MS are advised to ask their doctor about these nutrients and review their diet to see whether they are getting sufficient amounts. The recommended daily amount of vitamin E for women is 15 mg; for folate, 400 µg; and for magnesium, 320 mg. No daily levels have been established for lutein-zeaxanthin and quercetin. Researchers will present their results at the American Academy of Neurology’s 67th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, April 18 to 25, 2015.

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The pathological progression of MS has been documented for the first time, which may lead to possible new treatment options. Researchers propose that the inflammatory demyelinating disease process in early MS triggers a cascade of events that lead to neurodegeneration. These events are amplified by pathogenic mechanisms related to brain aging and accumulated disease burden. The inflammatory process, which can be treated effectively in the early stages, becomes less pronounced with age. However the neurodegenerative damage increases. This also explains why drugs that initially work well later lose their effectiveness. http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/laneur/PIIS1474-4422%2814%2970256-X.pdf

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Drugs could be developed that have an anti-inflammatory effect in the brain, not just suppressing the defense response in the blood and lymphatic organs. Neuroprotective treatments could be developed that preventively block amplification mechanisms and damage to the mitochondria in brain cells, preventing the consequential damage. The evidence suggests that treatment of progressive MS should be based on a combination of anti-inflammatory, regenerative, and neuroprotective strategies. Researchers published their results in the February 2015 issue of The Lancet Neurology.

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• Coffee intake may protect against MS, supporting the idea that caffeine may have protective effects for the brain.
• Women with MS may consume lower amounts of 5 antioxidant and anti-inflammatory nutrients: magnesium, folate (from food), vitamin E, lutein-zeaxanthin, and quercetin.
• Identification of the pathological progression of MS may lead to new treatment options.

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