The role of nutritional factors during adolescence in multiple sclerosis onset: a population-based incident case–control study

ABSTRACT

Objective

The potential role of nutritional factors in multiple sclerosis (MS) etiology is not clearly understood. The authors investigated the association between dietary intake during adolescence with MS.

Design, setting and participants

This was a population-based incident case–control study in Iran with 547 incident cases and 1057 general population controls (7/8/2013–17/2/2015). Logistic regression was used to test differences in dietary intake between cases and controls adjusted for confounders.

Results:

We found that a higher dietary consumption during adolescence of fresh fish, canned tuna, poultry, cheese, yogurt, butter, fruit, vegetables and a number of dietary supplements were associated with a significantly reduced risk of MS, while red meat, shrimp, and margarine were not associated with MS. Fresh fish had a dose–response association of 0.71 (0.58–0.88) per category increase, and consuming >0.5 serves of canned tuna fish per week had an OR of 0.72 (0.56–0.90); fruit intake had an OR of 0.82 (0.71–0.94) per category increase and cheese consumption an OR of 0.78 (0.67–0.91) per category increase.

Conclusions

We identified that a higher intake of a number of food groups generally viewed as healthy were associated with a reduced risk of MS. A healthier diet during adolescence may be protective of developing MS.

KEYWORDS:

• Multiple sclerosis
• population-based incident case–control
• nutritional factors
• adolescence

Acknowledgments

The authors appreciate the cooperation of the staff members of the IMSS. This project has been a part of Ibrahim Abdollahpour’s PhD dissertation in epidemiology.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, [Dr. Ibrahim Abdollahpour]. The data are not publicly available due to [some of containing information has not been still published].

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services under Grant [93-04-10-240/691].

Notes on contributors

Ibrahim Abdollahpour

Ibrahim Abdollahpour is Ph.D. of Epidemiology, Faculty member of Isfahan University of medical science.

Maria Pia Sormani

Maria Pia Sormani is Professor of bio statistics and Faculty member of Genova University.

Saharnaz Nedjat

Saharnaz Nedjat is Professor of epidemiology and Faculty member of Tehran University of medical science.

Mohammad Ali Mansournia

Mohammad Ali Mansournia is Associate professor of epidemiology and Faculty member of Tehran University of medical science.

Ingrid van der Mei

Associate Professor Ingrid van der Mei, is a leading epidemiologist at the University of Tasmania's Menzies Institute for Medical Research.