Nutrient Patterns and Risk of Multiple Sclerosis: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Iran is increasing. Although diet is an important modifiable risk factor for MS, the cumulative impact of micronutrients on MS is not yet fully understood. The objective was to evaluate the association between nutrient pattern and the risk of MS.

Methods: A validated food frequency questionnaire was used in the hospital-based case-control study. Sixty-eight patients with newly diagnosed MS and 140 controls were included.

Results: Cases and controls were selected from the Sinai Hospital in Tehran. Conducting principal component on 20 nutrients, four main nutrient patterns were revealed. Factor 1 included thiamin, selenium, niacin, copper and magnesium. Factor 2 was characterized by high riboflavin, calcium, vitamin D, zinc, linolenic acid and caffeine. Factor 3 was high in polyunsaturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids, alpha tocopherol, vitamin E and saturated fatty acids, and factor 4 was characterized by high loadings of vitamin C, β carotene and vitamin A. Using unconditional logistic regression, factors 2 and 4 were inversely associated to MS risk (OR = 0.25 (0.11 - 0.58) and OR = 0.43(0.21 - 0.87) respectively). Factors 1 and 3 showed no significant association with MS.

Conclusion: Findings suggested that nutrient patterns may be important in etiopathogenesis of MS and may offer new approaches to prevent MS.




J Neurol Res. 2014;4(2-3):72-80
doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jnr277w