Yale Researchers Report that Higher Levels of Fatty Acid in Tissues May Improve Immune Regulation–

Researchers at Yale University report that a fatty acid called oleic acid promoted the stability and function of immune cells (T regulatory cells, or Tregs) in laboratory studies. Tregs are capable of turning off destructive immune attacks such as what occur in MS.  The team then found that oleic acid was reduced in people with MS when compared with people without MS, and that exposing Tregs from people with MS to oleic acid in the laboratory restored their ability to suppress inflammation. Further Study Needed to Understand Implications for People with MS

Oleic acid is found in cooking oils, meats, cheese, nuts, sunflower seeds, eggs, pasta, milk, olives, avocados, and other foods, however, further study is needed to determine whether consuming more oleic acid would reduce disease activity in people with MS. This study was funded in part by the National MS Society.Read more about this study from Yale UniversityRead the paper in the Journal of Clinical Investigation