Lower Multiple Sclerosis Severity Score Is Associated with Higher Adherence to Mediterranean Diet in Subjects with Multiple Sclerosis from Northwestern Italy

Abstract

The Mediterranean Diet (MD) is described in the literature as a beneficial dietary pattern for neurodegenerative diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The objective of this study was to evaluate the dietary habits in people with MS (pwMS) and to test whether adherence to the MD could have an impact on the severity of the disease measured as the MS severity score (MSSS). Adherence to the MD was assessed in 31 PwMS using the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS), the Pyramid-based Mediterranean Diet Score (PyrMDS) index, and the Italian Mediterranean Index (IMI), and their eating habits were recorded in a food diary for a one-year follow-up. When data obtained from dietary analysis were compared to the MSSS, results showed that pwMS with lower MSSS adhere more to the MD than the other pwMS groups according to the MEDAS index. Furthermore, a high consumption of fiber in the MS mild severity class was observed. Further studies are needed to clarify which of the nutritional components of the MD may impact the course of MS and if the sensitization of pwMS to MD adherence can be a strategy for mitigating the disease.

Keywords

• multiple sclerosis
• Mediterranean diet
• MSSS
• MEDAS
• IMI
• PyrMDS