Interested in the Latest MS Research News? Read MSAA’s 2020 MS Research Update, Available Now!

The Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA)is proud to present our most recent publication, the 2020 MS Research Update. This publication provides a comprehensive overview of the study results on many of the approved and experimental disease-modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS). In addition to medications, the update also highlights new directions in research – including stem cell therapies, diet and MS, gut microbiome, Vitamin D, biotin, biomarkers, and genetics.

MSAA’s MS Research Update offers data available as of spring 2020, including new findings on recent FDA approvals for relapsing forms of MS. New information on many of the established long-term therapies is featured as well.

In an excerpt from this year’s MS Research Update, the role of diet and MS is explored:

“A diet consisting primarily of vegetables, whole grains, berries, poultry, fish, and olive oil was associated with larger thalamic volume – a measure of brain health and function – in a study examining how eating habits correlated with MRI findings in 185 people with MS…

…The participants underwent MRI assessment and completed a detailed questionnaire about their eating habits. They were then divided into four groups based on their reported dietary practices. Investigators examined how various MRI parameters differed across groups once adjustments had been made for patient demographics and markers of fitness.

The researchers found that people who followed the Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, or MIND, diet, which emphasizes the food described at the start of this section, tended to have larger thalamic volume than people in other groups. The thalamus is a grey-matter area of the brain that processes and relays sensory information, while also helping to regulate sleep and wakefulness...”

To read more of the information highlighted in the 2020 edition of MSAA’s MS Research Update, please visit our website at: https://mymsaa.org/publications/msresearch-update-2020