According to a study, persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) who have a healthier overall diet and consume more fiber, fruit, and vegetables had better health outcomes than those who forgo dairy and meat or follow a specific MS diet.
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In this cross-sectional investigation, the authors
wanted to look at the dietary habits of Australians with MS and see if they had
any links to health outcomes. They used data from the Australian MS
Longitudinal Study's 2016 survey, which included the Dietary Habits
Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Assessment of Quality of
Life, Fatigue Severity Scale, Patient-Determined Disease Steps Scale, and the
13 MS Symptoms Scale. In order to create regression models, directed acyclic
graphs were used.
Nearly all of the 1,490 participants (94.3%) said they
tried to eat well, with 21.2 percent saying they followed one or more specific
diets, but not religiously. Overall, 7.9% of people said they didn't eat meat,
8.1 percent said they didn't eat dairy, and 4.0 percent said they didn't eat
anything at all.
A higher diet score was linked to improved mental,
physical, and overall quality of life, as well as lower depressive pain scores
and fewer cognitive, vision, and gastrointestinal symptoms. Furthermore, higher
reported fiber, fruit, vegetable, and healthy fat scores were linked to a
variety of health outcomes.
"Prospective dietary studies are required to
learn more about whether dietary change is achievable and how it affects health
outcomes over time," the authors noted.
Source: Eur J Clin Nutr 2021;75:1506-1514