A more pro-inflammatory diet is associated with a higher risk of relapses and more inflammatory brain lesions for multiple sclerosis (MS) patients in the years following their first disease attack, according to a recent study.
However, dietary intake did not impact disability progression or the volume of lesions with chronic inflammation, seen on MRI scans as black holes.
The findings overall indicate a potential association between an inflammatory diet and inflammatory disease activity for early MS patients, researchers noted.
“While an anti-inflammatory diet does not replace anti-inflammatory medications in MS, this study provides evidence that an anti-inflammatory diet could contribute to the health and well-being of people with MS,” they wrote.