News

--Study suggests a need for more education about the link between obesity and MS severity

Obesity is common in the general population of the U.S., and is associated with a higher risk of many health issues. In MS, obesity has been linked to increased relapses and disease progression. In a newly published study, although most of the people with MS studied were overweight or obese, only 10% of 470 people with MS and 11% of 519 controls without MS adopted a specific diet to lose weight. This team is led by Rebecca Russell and Lucinda Black, PhD (Curtin University, Perth, Australia).

• 67% of people with MS and 71% of controls without MS were either overweight or obese. Participants were people from Southern California who were recruited from a previous study, known as the MS Sunshine Study. They were asked if they adopted one of nine suggested diets or an “other” diet for nutrition or weight loss purposes.
• Hispanic/Latino participants were less likely to adopt a specific diet. People who were female and younger were more likely to adopt a specific diet.
• The authors suggest the findings point to a need for more MS-focused education about nutrition and the negative impacts that obesity has on overall health and MS symptoms.
• “Obesity, dieting, and multiple sclerosis” was published online December 9, 2019 in MS and Related Disorders.