Research Shows Immune System Bacteria Link to MS

Lately, much of my work has been focused on the relationship between the gut and MS. As I experience ongoing gut issues, I need to learn how to advocate for myself by learning as much as I can about gut bacteria and finding the right doctors to help me.

I know how to advocate for my MS. Now it’s time to do the same for my gut health.

There’s a growing body of evidence that the bacteria found in our immune systems are somehow related to MS.

Research suggests that diet may help with changing the composition of gut bacteria. Multiple Sclerosis News Today reported on a pilot study conducted by Dr. Ilana B. Katz Sand to find out if the Mediterranean dietreduces MS symptoms.

The article, “Pilot Study is Testing Whether Mediterranean Diet Can Help MS Patients,” states that “recent studies have suggested that certain types of gut bacteria contribute to the worsening of MS.” Another study cited in the article suggests high levels of gut bacteria may trigger inflammatory responses.

At the recent Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers 2018 Annual Meeting (CMSC) the relationship between gut bacteria and MS was discussed by several doctors who talked about their studies and findings.

A recent article in Medscape, ”Gut Bacteria, Diet Significant in MS,” reported on the CMSC meeting and quoted Dr. Katz Sand, who is also associate medical director at Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for MS at Mount Sinai Medical Center, and who “underscored the increasing interest in the bacterial composition of the gut and how it relates to MS.”

“We know that 70% of the body’s immune system is housed inside the gut and there are very important communications between the immune system in the gut and the peripheral immune system, as well as direct communication between the gut and the central nervous system,” she said.

At the same CMSC meeting, Dr. Daniela Pimentel Maldonado, from the Department of Neurology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, and co-author of one of the studies mentioned above, spoke to Medscape Medical News.

“In further research, we want to look at antibiotic use and questions such as whether patients have more urinary tract infections, which could prompt them to take more antibiotics and could change their gut microbiome,” she said.

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