Obese people with multiple sclerosis (MS) had faster disability accumulation, greater cognitive declines, and worse quality of life in the 15 years after diagnosis relative to patients with normal weight, according to an analysis of Swedish data.
While it’s been known that obesity was a risk factor for developing the neurodegenerative disease, the findings shed more light on how it influences its course after a diagnosis.
Lars Alfredsson, PhD, a professor at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, presented the data in an oral presentation at the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) and the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) meeting, held Oct. 11-13 in Milan and online. The talk was titled, “Obesity negatively affects disease progression, cognitive functioning, and quality of life in people with multiple sclerosis.”
Obesity is associated with chronic inflammation that can increase the risk of autoimmune diseases like MS. Indeed, obese children or teens are about twice as likely to develop MS than those who are not obese….Read more HERE.