Doctors from the University of Copenhagen discovered that the condition of patients with multiple sclerosis is related to the composition of their gut microbiota. They hope that dietary changes may also bring about changes in the microbiota composition in patients that will help control the disease. The research was published in the journal Genome Medicine.
The study included 148 patients with multiple sclerosis and the same number of healthy volunteers. Participants provided blood and stool samples at the beginning of the study and again two years later.
The composition of the microbiota was different in healthy people and patients with multiple sclerosis. It also depended on whether the patients were treated or not and whether the disease was in the active phase. Especially in patients in remission, the researchers found increased numbers of bacteria, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Gordonibacter urolithinfaciens, which produce anti-inflammatory agents. Overall, MS patients, especially those who were not treated, had more bacteria in their microbiota associated with the production of proinflammatory cytokines in the body. In addition, increased virus content in the microbiota, including Caudovirales bacteriophages, has been observed in patients with multiple sclerosis.
The researchers suggest that dietary changes may affect the gut microbiota, thereby improving the condition of patients, in particular increasing the production of anti-inflammatory substances.
“We are now starting to identify some types of bacteria that have beneficial effects. Perhaps in the long run, they will be able to take nutritional supplements that promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria or the bacteria themselves that contribute to a proper metabolism in the gut,” the scientists say.
Scientists admit that little is known so far about the causes of the development of multiple sclerosis, which makes it difficult to choose the right treatment. They hope that dietary adjustments in the future will help contain the disease more effectively.