A new study is looking at whether a particular diet may help patients fight multiple sclerosis. 

 

Once a month a group of MS patients, meets to get tips from a nutritionist at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York. Neurologist  Ilana Katz Sand is leading one of the first clinical trials to study the link between what we eat, gut bacteria, and MS symptoms..

 

“The immune system, about 70 percent of it lives inside the gut and has far reaching implications throughout the rest of the body,” Dr. Katz Sand says.

 

In MS, inflammation occurs when the immune cells attack the brain and spinal cord. This study is testing whether a  dietary intervention can re-program the immune system to slow down the assault on itself. 

 

Patients enrolled in the trial, are following strict a Mediterranean-style diet. They’re forbidden to eat processed food, dairy or meat, but are encouraged to consume lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. 

 

Dr. Katz Sand says researchers think fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are anti-inflammatory and also protective of nerve cells.

 

This is a small study of about 30 patients.  It will be six months before researchers know if the diet has any measurable impact on MS symptoms,  Some in the group already say they have  more energy.