Multiple sclerosis: Dietary fiber and probiotics may improve symptoms

Multiple sclerosis: Dietary fiber and probiotics may improve symptoms

ISLAMABAD, (Online) - Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a condition that impacts the central nervous system (primarily the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves), meaning it can cause symptoms throughout the body.

According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, there are almost 1 million people with MS in the United States alone.

Research suggests that MS is an autoimmune disorder. Now, scientists have found that a person’s gut microbiota may also play a part.

In a new study, researchers from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School’s Department of Neurology confirm a previously observed link between microbes in the gastrointestinal tract, known as the gut microbiota, and MS.

MS: An autoimmune, degenerative disease

Autoimmune diseases are caused when the immune system attacks healthy tissue.

In the case of MS, the immune system targets the myelin sheath that surrounds and protects nerve fibers, causing inflammation. Myelin is important as it protects the nerves, ensuring that electrical signals travel through them quickly and efficiently.

Multiple sclerosis means “scar tissue in multiple areas.” Common MS symptoms include:

• muscle weakness

• spasticity and muscle spasms

• numbness and tingling

• bowel and bladder problems

• sexual dysfunction

• vision problems

The link between gut health and MS symptoms

For the present study, researchers used a mouse model to observe the relationship between gut health and MS symptoms.

The mice were genetically modified to have genes associated with MS, which allowed researchers to investigate the connection between changes in gut bacteria and a condition called experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE)Trusted Source, which is similar to MS.

Dr.Achillefs Ntranos, a neurologist and MS specialist in Santa Monica, CA, not involved in the study, explained to Medical News Today that the paper discusses the possible link between MS and gut dysbiosis, which refers to an imbalance in the microbial composition of the gut.

“The authors conducted a study using humanized transgenic mice, which were genetically engineered to express certain human genes, to investigate the relationship between gut inflammation and the development of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a condition that resembles MS in humans. They found that the mice developed both EAE and colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease, simultaneously, suggesting a link between autoimmune diseases of the central nervous system and intestinal inflammation.” – Dr. Achillefs Ntranos, neurologist

Next, the researchers checked to see if the same process occurred in people with MS.

They found there were higher levels of Lcn-2 in the stool of the subjects; this is a marker associated with intestinal inflammation. This marker, according to researchers, was linked to fewer types of bacteria in the gut.

Additionally, the types of bacteria that tend to reduce inflammation in the intestine were less common in people with MS with higher levels of fecal Lcn-2.

According to the researchers, the amount of Lcn-2 in feces may be a good way to tell how healthy a person’s gut microbiota is. The study also suggests that eating a high fiber diet, which can reduce inflammation in the gut, may be helpful in managing MS.

Dr. Sara Mesilhy, a gastroenterologist with the Royal College of Physicians in the United Kingdom, not involved in the study, highlighted the importance of fecal Lcn-2 as a biomarker.

“Fecal Lcn-2 is a sensitive biological marker for gut dysbiosis in MS,” she explained. “In this study, the level of anti-microbial protein (Lcn-2) was higher in stools of patients with multiple sclerosis, which correlates with decreased gut microbial diversity.”

“Other Intestinal inflammatory mediators were associated with reduced intestinal microbiota diversity in MS patients,[including] fecal Lcn-2, neutrophil elastase, and calprotectin. Among these three mediators, fecal Lcn-2 levels were [the] most significantly sensitive marker. The study traced the link between alterations in the gut bacteria and the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice to better identify the MS-linked gut dysbiosis.”