Diet benefits people with multiple sclerosis

A diet designed to improve the health of the brain may benefit people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study has found.

There are many diets for MS. Researchers from the Ichahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City looked at 185 people who had an been given an MS diagnosis in the last five years. Each filled out detailed questionnaires and had MRI brain scans.

The study found that people who ate in the style of the MIND diet – which combines aspects of the Mediterranean diet with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet – seemed to have more preserved brain matter in a critical area of the brain’s thalamus.

MIND stands for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay. It’s been suggested in previous studies it may help preserve thinking skills in older adults, and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

On the MIND eating regime, ‘good’ foods include fish, nuts, leafy vegetables and berries. ‘Bad’ foods are red meats, processed meats, sugar, fried foods, butter and cheese.
The study was published in the journal MS and Related Disorders.
We look more closely at the MIND diet and how to follow it in the next issue of New Pathways magazine.

Source: MS-UK 22 June 2021