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New Study Provides More Evidence That Obesity Increases Risk for Developing MS

June 29, 2016

An increase in body mass from being “overweight” to “obese” was associated with a significant increase in the risk of developing MS, reports a new Canadian study. Researchers identified 70 genetic predictors of weight (body mass index) by analyzing obesity-related genes from a study of more than 300,000 people. Then, they looked at these gene variations in data compiled from more than 14,000 people with MS and 24,000 people without MS as part of the National MS Society-launched International MS Genetics Consortium. This study adds to the growing body of evidence that obesity is a risk factor for developing MS. Being overweight is also known to worsen MS symptoms.

Read more about this study, on The Mcgill Reporter

Read the study in the journal PLOS and read an accompanying editorial

Obesity is a risk factor that you can change – Take Control Here!

About Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis is an unpredictable, often disabling disease of the central nervous system. There is currently no cure for MS. Symptoms vary from person to person and range from numbness and tingling, to mobility challenges, blindness and paralysis. An estimated 1 million people live with MS in the United States. Most people are diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, and it affects women three times more than men.

About the National Multiple Sclerosis Society

The National MS Society, founded in 1946, funds cutting-edge research, drives change through advocacy, and provides programs and services to help people affected by MS live their best lives. Connect to learn more and get involved: nationalMSsociety.org, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or 1-800-344-4867.

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