Paleolithic and Mediterranean diets reduce fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis

Written By : Dr.Niharika Harsha B |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2022-10-28T20:00:36+05:30 | Updated On 28 Oct 2022 8:01 PM IST

A recent network meta-analysis revealed that Paleolithic and Mediterranean diets may reduce Multiple Sclerosis related fatigue and improved physical and mental quality of life as published in the journal Neurology.

Diet may play a role in the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to new evidence. However, the current state of the evidence does not support dietary recommendations for MS because of methodological issues and the diversity of dietary interventions in preliminary trials. Hence, researchers conducted a study to assess the efficacy of different dietary approaches on MS-related fatigue and quality of life (QoL) through a systematic review of the literature and network meta-analysis (NMA).

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Electronic database searches were performed to include all randomized trials with a dietary intervention. Based on McDonald criteria, All adults with definitive MS and patient-reported outcomes for fatigue and/or QoL with a minimum intervention period of 4 weeks were included. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated for each outcome and included in random effects NMA to determine the pooled effect of each dietary intervention relative to each of the other dietary interventions.

Results: Twelve trials comparing 8 dietary interventions (low-fat, Mediterranean, ketogenic, anti-inflammatory, Paleolithic, fasting, calorie restriction, and control [usual diet]), enrolling 608 participants, were included in the primary analysis. The Paleolithic (SMD: -1.27; 95% CI: -1.81, -0.74), low-fat (SMD: -0.90; 95% CI: -1.39, -0.42), and Mediterranean (SMD: -0.89; 95% CI: -1.15, -0.64) diets showed greater reductions in fatigue compared to control. The Paleolithic (SMD: 1.01; 95% CI 0.40, 1.63) and Mediterranean (SMD: 0.47; 95% CI 0.08, 0.86) diets showed greater improvements in physical QoL compared to control. For improving mental QoL, the Paleolithic (SMD: 0.81; 95% CI 0.26, 1.37) and Mediterranean (SMD: 0.36; 95% CI 0.06, 0.65) diets were more effective compared to control. However, the NutriGRADE credibility of evidence for all direct comparisons is very low due to most of the included trials having high or moderate risk of bias, small sample sizes, and the limited number of studies included in this NMA.

multiple sclerosisMS-related fatigue and quality of lifenetwork meta-analysisMcDonald criteriaQoLPROSPEROPaleolithic dietMediterranean diet

Source : Neurology

Dr.Niharika Harsha B

BDS, MDS

Dr.Niharika Harsha B (BDS,MDS) completed her BDS from Govt Dental College, Hyderabad and MDS from Dr.NTR University of health sciences(Now Kaloji Rao University). She has 4 years of private dental practice and worked for 2 years as Consultant Oral Radiologist at a Dental Imaging Centre in Hyderabad. She worked as Research Assistant and scientific writer in the development of Oral Anti cancer screening device with her seniors. She has a deep intriguing wish in writing highly engaging, captivating and informative medical content for a wider audience. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in.

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751