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Written by Marie Ellis
Published:
Mutiple sclerosis is an unpredictable condition of the central nervous system that ranges from mild to devastating; in people with the disease, communication between the brain and body is disrupted. However, the risk factors that cause the disease are poorly understood. Now, a new study investigates the link between obesity and multiple sclerosis.
The study, led by Dr. Brent Richards from the Jewish General Hospital in Quebec, Canada, is published in PLOS Medicine.
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), many experts believe multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease, whereby the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues. With MS, the body attacks its own nerve-insulating myelin.
Most people encounter their first MS symptoms between 20-40 years of age, and initial symptoms include blurred or double vision, red-green distortion, or blindness in one eye.
The researchers from this latest study say that an elevated body mass index (BMI) has been shown to promote a “proinflammatory state,” affecting the immune system.
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