ScienceDaily
Your source for the latest research news
Follow Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Subscribe RSS Feeds Newsletters
New:
  • Black Death Shaped Evolution of Immunity Genes
  • Methane-Eating 'Borgs' Taking Earth's Microbes
  • Pain Relief Without Side Effects and Addiction
  • Accounting For Dark Energy and Dark Matter
  • Meet the First Neanderthal Family
  • Physicists Confirm Hitch in Proton Structure
  • Five Hours' Sleep a Night: Disease Risk
  • Energetics of Piercing Fangs and Claws
  • Hair Straightening Chemicals and Uterine Cancer
  • Ostriches With Similar Interests Form Groups
advertisement
Follow all of ScienceDaily's latest research news and top science headlines!
Science News
from research organizations

1

2

Food allergies and multiple sclerosis: New link

MS patients with food allergies had a higher rate of MS disease activity

Date:
February 19, 2019
Source:
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Summary:
Investigating the correlation between allergy and inflammatory disease activity, a team of investigators has found new evidence connecting food allergies and relapses of multiple sclerosis.
Share:
FULL STORY

Like many other medical conditions, the mechanism of multiple sclerosis remains an enigma -- a puzzle composed of complex genetic and environmental factors. A key piece to this puzzle is the immune system, which is also responsible for regulating many other physiological (and pathological) phenomena -- including allergies. Although previous studies investigating the association between MS and allergies have yielded mixed results, a research team at Brigham and Women's Hospital sought to uncover the putative link in a new way. Investigating the correlation between allergy and inflammatory disease activity, the team found new evidence connecting food allergies and relapses of multiple sclerosis. The results are published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry.

advertisement

"Some multiple sclerosis patients with significant allergies would complain of frequent relapses associated with their allergic episodes," said Tanuja Chitnis, MD, senior author and a neurologist at the Partners MS Center at the Brigham. "We felt that the most likely mechanism associated with allergy and its influence on MS would be related to inflammatory activity."

Accordingly, Chitnis and colleagues set out to investigate the association between inflammatory disease activity and allergy history in a subset of patients enrolled in a large study known as the Comprehensive Longitudinal Investigation of Multiple Sclerosis at Brigham and Women's Hospital (CLIMB). A total of 1,349 study participants completed a self-administered questionnaire outlining food, environmental and/or drug allergies. Disease activity was assessed through evaluating the cumulative number of attacks over disease course, and new gadolinium (Gad)-enhancing lesions, as detected by MRI.

Interestingly, only participants in the food allergy group demonstrated a significantly higher rate of cumulative attacks and increased likelihood of new Gad-lesions compared to participants with no reported food allergies. This effect remained significant even when adjusted for potential confounders such as sex, age at symptom onset, and disease category. No significant effects were observed for the environmental and drug allergy groups after adjusted analyses.

This association between food allergy and MS disease activity highlights an important role for a potential player in immunity and inflammation -- the gut. "It is interesting that this association was only found with food allergies and not other types of allergies, which might have been expected had this solely been an immune deviation issue," said Chitnis. "The presence of food allergies and mechanisms related to food allergies may increase relapse rate and inflammatory activity in MS patients. There may be a common mechanism here, or other mechanisms which may induce MS relapses in a predisposed host."

Currently, Chitnis and colleagues are working to further uncover these mechanisms of immune dysregulation in allergy and delineate how such dysregulation impacts MS inflammatory activity. Given the correlative nature of this study, the researchers are careful to highlight the limited clinical actionability of their findings. However, Chitnis is optimistic about the potential translational significance of the work and highlights the importance of addressing food allergies in MS patient care.

"There has long been a hypothesis of the gut being related to the immune system, and this really points to a stronger association than previously understood," Chitnis said. "This research opens up a new way of thinking about the immune mechanisms in MS."

make a difference: sponsored opportunity

Story Source:

Materials provided by Brigham and Women's Hospital. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Rami Fakih, Camilo Diaz-Cruz, Alicia S Chua, Cindy Gonzalez, Brian C Healy, Neda Sattarnezhad, Bonnie I Glanz, Howard L Weiner, Tanuja Chitnis. Food allergies are associated with increased disease activity in multiple sclerosis. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, 2018; jnnp-2018-319301 DOI: 10.1136/jnnp-2018-319301

Cite This Page:

  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
Brigham and Women's Hospital. "Food allergies and multiple sclerosis: New link: MS patients with food allergies had a higher rate of MS disease activity." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 19 February 2019. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190219133007.htm>.
Brigham and Women's Hospital. (2019, February 19). Food allergies and multiple sclerosis: New link: MS patients with food allergies had a higher rate of MS disease activity. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 20, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190219133007.htm
Brigham and Women's Hospital. "Food allergies and multiple sclerosis: New link: MS patients with food allergies had a higher rate of MS disease activity." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190219133007.htm (accessed October 20, 2022).

  • RELATED TOPICS
    • Health & Medicine
      • Allergy
      • Multiple Sclerosis Research
      • Staying Healthy
      • Diseases and Conditions
    • Mind & Brain
      • Multiple Sclerosis
      • Disorders and Syndromes
      • Nutrition Research
      • Parkinson's
advertisement

  • RELATED TERMS
    • Multiple sclerosis
    • Allergy
    • Hypoallergenic
    • Excitotoxicity and cell damage
    • Allergen
    • Biological psychiatry
    • Urinary incontinence
    • Rheumatoid arthritis
advertisement

  Print   Email   Share

advertisement

1

2

3

4

5
Most Popular
this week

HEALTH & MEDICINE
Eating Late Increases Hunger, Decreases Calories Burned, and Changes Fat Tissue
Clusters of Genes Help Mice Live Longer
Study of Over 5 Million People's DNA Reveals Genetic Links to Height
MIND & BRAIN
Dogs Can Smell When We're Stressed, Study Suggests
Human Brain Cells in a Dish Learn to Play Pong in Real Time
Healthy Aging Requires an Understanding of Personality Types
LIVING & WELL
Did the Pandemic Change Our Personalities?
Watching TV With Your Child Can Help Their Cognitive Development, Study Suggests
Coffee Drinking Is Associated With Increased Longevity
advertisement

Strange & Offbeat
 

HEALTH & MEDICINE
RNA Origami Enables Applications in Synthetic Biology
Unlocking the Power of Our Emotional Memory
Robotic Drug Capsule Can Deliver Drugs to Gut
MIND & BRAIN
Our Brains Use Quantum Computation
Human Brain Cells in a Dish Learn to Play Pong in Real Time
Dogs Can Smell When We're Stressed, Study Suggests
LIVING & WELL
Researchers Develop Painless Tattoos That Can Be Self-Administered
Washing Dishes With Superheated Steam More Effective, Earth-Friendly
News Addiction Linked to Not Only Poor Mental Wellbeing but Physical Health Too, New Study Shows
Explore More
from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES

Food Allergies Can Be Reversed in Mice by Targeting the Microbiome
Aug. 22, 2022 — People with serious food allergies face potentially fatal consequences if they're accidentally exposed to triggering foods. But tests in allergic mice show that swallowing a form of butyrate -- a ...
Researchers Estimate 17% of Food-Allergic Children Have Sesame Allergy
Nov. 4, 2019 — Investigators have found that sesame allergy is common among children with other food allergies, occurring in an estimated 17% of this population. In addition, the scientists have found that sesame ...
Food Allergies Linked to Increased Disease Activity in Multiple Sclerosis
Dec. 18, 2018 — Food allergies are associated with heightened levels of disease activity in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), new research ...
Challenges of Food Allergies Connected to Personality Traits for First Time
Mar. 1, 2018 — The first study published connecting challenges of food allergies with personality traits finds that higher openness to experience is the biggest predictor of more allergy issues, while neuroticism ...
advertisement


SD
  • SD
    • Home Page
    • Top Science News
    • Latest News
  • Home
    • Home Page
    • Top Science News
    • Latest News
  • Health
    • View all the latest top news in the health sciences,
      or browse the topics below:
      Health & Medicine
      • Allergy
      • Alternative Medicine
      • Birth Control
      • Cancer
      • Diabetes
      • Diseases
      • Heart Disease
      • HIV and AIDS
      • Obesity
      • Stem Cells
      • ... more topics
      Mind & Brain
      • ADD and ADHD
      • Addiction
      • Alzheimer's
      • Autism
      • Depression
      • Headaches
      • Intelligence
      • Psychology
      • Relationships
      • Schizophrenia
      • ... more topics
      Living Well
      • Parenting
      • Pregnancy
      • Sexual Health
      • Skin Care
      • Men's Health
      • Women's Health
      • Nutrition
      • Diet and Weight Loss
      • Fitness
      • Healthy Aging
      • ... more topics
  • Tech
    • View all the latest top news in the physical sciences & technology,
      or browse the topics below:
      Matter & Energy
      • Aviation
      • Chemistry
      • Electronics
      • Fossil Fuels
      • Nanotechnology
      • Physics
      • Quantum Physics
      • Solar Energy
      • Technology
      • Wind Energy
      • ... more topics
      Space & Time
      • Astronomy
      • Black Holes
      • Dark Matter
      • Extrasolar Planets
      • Mars
      • Moon
      • Solar System
      • Space Telescopes
      • Stars
      • Sun
      • ... more topics
      Computers & Math
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Communications
      • Computer Science
      • Hacking
      • Mathematics
      • Quantum Computers
      • Robotics
      • Software
      • Video Games
      • Virtual Reality
      • ... more topics
  • Enviro
    • View all the latest top news in the environmental sciences,
      or browse the topics below:
      Plants & Animals
      • Agriculture and Food
      • Animals
      • Biology
      • Biotechnology
      • Endangered Animals
      • Extinction
      • Genetically Modified
      • Microbes and More
      • New Species
      • Zoology
      • ... more topics
      Earth & Climate
      • Climate
      • Earthquakes
      • Environment
      • Geography
      • Geology
      • Global Warming
      • Hurricanes
      • Ozone Holes
      • Pollution
      • Weather
      • ... more topics
      Fossils & Ruins
      • Ancient Civilizations
      • Anthropology
      • Archaeology
      • Dinosaurs
      • Early Humans
      • Early Mammals
      • Evolution
      • Lost Treasures
      • Origin of Life
      • Paleontology
      • ... more topics
  • Society
    • View all the latest top news in the social sciences & education,
      or browse the topics below:
      Science & Society
      • Arts & Culture
      • Consumerism
      • Economics
      • Political Science
      • Privacy Issues
      • Public Health
      • Racial Disparity
      • Religion
      • Sports
      • World Development
      • ... more topics
      Business & Industry
      • Biotechnology & Bioengineering
      • Computers & Internet
      • Energy & Resources
      • Engineering
      • Medical Technology
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Transportation
      • ... more topics
      Education & Learning
      • Animal Learning & Intelligence
      • Creativity
      • Educational Psychology
      • Educational Technology
      • Infant & Preschool Learning
      • Learning Disorders
      • STEM Education
      • ... more topics
  • Quirky
    • Top News
    • Human Quirks
    • Odd Creatures
    • Bizarre Things
    • Weird World
Free Subscriptions

Get the latest science news with ScienceDaily's free email newsletters, updated daily and weekly. Or view hourly updated newsfeeds in your RSS reader:

  • Email Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
Follow Us

Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Have Feedback?

Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments. Have any problems using the site? Questions?

  • Leave Feedback
  • Contact Us
About This Site  |  Staff  |  Reviews  |  Contribute  |  Advertise  |  Privacy Policy  |  Editorial Policy  |  Terms of Use
Copyright 1995-2022 ScienceDaily or by other parties, where indicated. All rights controlled by their respective owners.
Content on this website is for information only. It is not intended to provide medical or other professional advice.
Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily, its staff, its contributors, or its partners.
Financial support for ScienceDaily comes from advertisements and referral programs, where indicated.
— CCPA: Do Not Sell My Information — GDPR: Privacy Settings —