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Although this article was not related to MS and the study done was with the elderly, it could have implications for us MSers as we are all aware that inflammation can be a bad thing. In a nut shell, this study proves a Mediterranean diet (consisting of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and grains, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, alcohol and the mono-unsaturated-to-saturated fat ratio) can influence inflammation.

Original link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060308/hl_ ... an_diet_dc

Dunmann



NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Sticking to a Mediterranean diet, high in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats, lowers levels of inflammation in the elderly, as reflected by lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), research shows. This effect should, in turn, lead to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease that has been associated with this type of diet.

CRP is a marker of inflammation that has been tied to the risk of heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Researchers from the Stanford School of Medicine in California studied the effect of diet on CRP levels in blood in 911 healthy individuals -- 326 women and 585 men -- whose average age was 66 years. Subjects were followed from January 2002 through December 2003.

Researchers assessed adherence to a Mediterranean diet with a food frequency questionnaire, from which they formulated the Mediterranean Diet Score, based on intake of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds and grains, meat and meat products, dairy products, fish, alcohol and the mono-unsaturated-to-saturated fat ratio. Total scores ranged from 0 to 9 for adherence to the diet. Plasma CRP levels were measured periodically.

At the
American Heart Association's 46th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology, held this past weekend in Phoenix, Dr. Joan M. Fair reported that Mediterranean Diet Score correlated negatively with CRP level.

Each one-point increase in Mediterranean Diet Score was associated with a decrease in CRP of 0.14 mg/L in women and a decrease in CRP of 0.10 mg/L in men.

"The (positive) effects of the Mediterranean diet might be the anti-oxidant components of fruits and vegetables," Fair told Reuters Health, "and the anti-inflammatory effects of the diet may be one explanation for its protective effect against cardiovascular disease."

"There are other markers of inflammation that we haven't assessed yet in terms of diet, such as high coronary artery content, which we found in 200 patients. We have the blood available, we just haven't run the tests yet," Fair said.

There are two tests for inflammation: the general C-Reactive Protein (CRP) test measures inflammation throughout the body; the high-sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hs-CRP) test is more specific in gauging inflammation in blood vessels.

Yes, I think inflammation is very bad for us MSers. It seems that not only the Mediterranean diet is anti-inflammatory, but all the others with a reported positive impact on MS--Swank diet, The Gold Coast Cure diet, even what the Eskimos eat with all the fish (specifically, salmon is naturally anti-inflammatory) and few, if any, carbs.

But I must admit, though I am following the diet, trying to reduce inflammation, I see no improvements in the MS yet. Maybe it takes more than three weeks; perhaps even with the other regimens outlined here, it takes more than three weeks. Believe me, you will all hear if I see a change!