HOLY SMOKE! HOLISM Study Reveals Diet’s Impact on MS Disability Progression
When I read stuff like this, my little heart sings. We have the power to influence our own MS outcomes. I’m game… are you?
The study
In a study recently published in the ‘European Journal of Neurology,’ researchers from the University of Melbourne conducted a long-term investigation into the relationship between diet quality and disability progression in individuals with MS. The HOLISM Study followed 602 participants with MS from around the world for an impressive 7.5 years, using a unique approach to assess the impact of diet on MS outcomes.
Instead of simply looking for associations, the researchers measured participants’ baseline diet quality using the Diet Habits Questionnaire (DHQ) and then observed how this diet related to changes in disability progression over time—a rigorous approach that represents high-level medical evidence.
The key findings were striking. Eating a high-quality diet was associated with a significant reduction in the risk of future disability progression. Participants with the highest scores for diet quality experienced more than a 50% reduced risk over the 7.5-year study period. These results emphasise the substantial benefits of a healthy diet for individuals living with MS.
Furthermore, the study identified that a decrease in diet quality over the first 2.5 years predicted a greater risk of disability progression at 7.5 years. Notably, dietary fat consumption emerged as the most consistent factor associated with future disability. While other dietary aspects like fruits, vegetables, fibre, and omega-3 also played roles, fat intake had the strongest impact.
Additionally, the study shed light on the effects of meat and dairy consumption. Consistent with earlier HOLISM results, meat and dairy consumption were linked to worsening disability, particularly when combined with lower diet quality. These findings underscore the importance of overall diet quality in managing MS.
Hope
The HOLISM Study provides compelling evidence that a high-quality diet can significantly reduce the risk of disability progression in people with MS. These results have far-reaching implications for the inclusion of dietary recommendations in the clinical management of MS alongside traditional pharmaceutical approaches.
This research signifies a crucial step towards empowering all of us with MS to take control of our health through dietary choices, offering us hope for a brighter future.
More broccoli please (other vegetables are available).
Working together
If you would like support on your MS health journey, take a look at the range of nutritional therapy programmes which I offer. Please contact me for a free discovery call for more information. I look forward to working with you soon.