Following a Mediterranean diet may help slow disability progression in people with early multiple sclerosis, partly by reducing biological ageing, news research suggests.
The findings point to a link between diet, biological age and disability, suggesting lifestyle choices could influence long-term outcomes in MS.
Biological age reflects how old cells and tissues appear, based on markers of ageing, rather than a person’s actual age.
One such marker is leukocyte telomere length.
Telomeres are protective caps at the ends of chromosomes that shorten over time as cells divide, and shorter telomeres in white blood cells have been linked to greater disability and brain changes in MS.
The research analysed data from 185 people with relapsing forms of MS who had been diagnosed within the previous five years and were followed for six years.
Participants underwent regular clinical assessments, MRI scans and blood tests, and reported how closely they followed a Mediterranean diet, which emphasises olive oil, fruit and vegetables while limiting animal fats, red meat and processed foods.
Over the follow-up period, participants whose disability worsened tended to have lower Mediterranean diet scores and shorter telomeres than those whose disability remained stable.
These associations remained after accounting for age, sex, socioeconomic factors, body weight and physical activity.
The strongest link between diet and telomere length was seen in those with the lowest adherence. Participants in the bottom 25 per cent of Mediterranean diet scores had significantly shorter telomeres than those with higher scores.
Ilana Katz Sand, who led the research, said: “It seems that this particular combination of both not meeting some of the Mediterranean diet targets like olive oil, fruits, and vegetables, and also having a higher consumption of things like baked goods and processed meats, really puts people at a disadvantage when it comes to LTL status.”
Further analysis suggested that some of the effect of diet on disability may be indirect, acting through its influence on biological age.
Although not statistically significant, the data indicated that telomere length explained around 16 per cent of the link between diet adherence and disability worsening.
Katz Sand said: “Biological ageing processes are relevant to MS and, importantly, potentially modifiable with lifestyle changes.”
The researchers plan to test these findings using other measures of biological ageing and different dietary patterns.
They are also running a clinical trial, supported by the National MS Society, examining whether a Mediterranean-style diet intervention can improve outcomes in MS.
Around half of the planned 100 participants have been enrolled, with follow-up lasting about one year.
Katz Sand added that dietary change can be challenging, but structured support may help.
“We’ve previously shown that we actually can get people to change their diet if we give them the support and resources to do so,” she said.
“Stay tuned on that.”
Dining and Cooking