There is some evidence that diet plays a role in the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, these largely come from small studies at single timepoints, preventing conclusion of causal relationships.  Â
This study will employ a large cohort study of more than 2000 people living with MS in the UK with clinical follow-up measurements of multiple patient-reported outcomes since 2011. Advanced statistical methods will be applied to diet intake data acquired in 2016 and 2022 to extract diet quality characteristics and evaluate the links between diet quality and relapse, disability, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and quality of life over 10 years of follow-up.  Â
These results will then be applied to the development of a web-based interface which people living with MS can use to predict how their MS might progress based on their reported food and beverage intake. Â
Dr Steve Simpson-Yap and his team will also undertake discussions with people living with MS and their carers to better inform ways people living with MS can improve their diet which are practicable given their clinical and demographic circumstances.  Â
These results will directly inform people living with MS, medical practitioners, and researchers about the link between diet and the range of clinical outcome measures in MS. It will also provide a context by which these and other diet results can be applied to realise achievable positive lifestyle change.Â
Dr Simpson-Yap and his team have commenced analysis of the 2016 and 2022 data from the large UK cohort study to establish which elements of diet may be predictive for relapse rate, disability progression, clinically significant fatigue, depression, anxiety and quality of life in individuals with MS. Â
The team has also generated scores for adherence to a range of existing dietary indices, including the Mediterranean diet, Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) – a scoring system that measures the number of inflammatory foods in a person’s diet, and the Alternative Healthy Eating Index – a scoring system that assesses dietary quality, to generate predictive relationships for relapse rate, disability progression, clinically significant fatigue, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Â
Results of the analysed data have been presented at national and international conferences and several manuscripts of the results are planned for publication in peer-review journals later in the year.Â
Updated 31 March 2024Â
$249,301
2023
3 years
Current project
