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Nutrition and Lifestyle Behaviours for the Prevention and Management of Multiple Sclerosis

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A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 February 2025 | Viewed by 1865

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yasmine Probst

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Guest Editor

School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia
Interests: multiple sclerosis; diet; nutrition; dietary methodology; health behaviours; clinical trial; consumer engagement; food composition; dietary patterns; food choice; lifestyle; lived experience; supplementation; alcohol; quality of life
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Tyler J. Titcomb

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Guest Editor

Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52340, USA
Interests: multiple sclerosis; neurodegeneration; diet; nutrition; dietetics; randomized controlled trials; nutritional epidemiology; comorbidity burden; dietary assessment; nutrition screening; dietary patterns; quality of life; fatigue

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, immune-mediated, neurodegenerative disease that affects over 2.9 million people worldwide. In recent years, lifestyle behaviours have gained much interest in the MS community for their role in improving wellness and managing symptoms. However, given the current inconsistency in this emerging field, many questions remain, including the role of lifestyle behaviours in the prevention of MS, the impact of lifestyle behaviours on disease progression, the mechanisms by which lifestyle behaviours improve outcomes, and the role of lifestyle behaviours in the clinical management of MS, among others.

This Special Issue seeks to advance our knowledge regarding lifestyle behaviours and MS. Particularly, studies are sought related to the identification or implementation of health behaviour management approaches, including but not limited to diet, supplementation, physical activity, stress management, sleep, and smoking avoidance. Original research (including trials, observational studies, qualitative studies, animal models, etc.) and reviews (systematic, scoping, narrative, etc.) are eligible for submissions.

Dr. Yasmine Probst
Dr. Tyler J. Titcomb
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nutrients is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

multiple sclerosis
nutrition
diet
exercise
physical activity
sleep
stress management
comorbidities
malnutrition
microbiome
health behaviour

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Research

14 pages, 250 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nutrition Knowledge and Food Literacy Among Persons with Multiple Sclerosis—Development and Validation of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures

by Karin Riemann-Lorenz, Susan Seddiq Zai, Anne Daubmann, Jana Pöttgen and Christoph Heesen

Nutrients 2024, 16(23), 4043; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16234043 - 26 Nov 2024

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Abstract

Background/Objectives: Persons with MS (pwMSs) are often confronted with contradictory dietary advice, which is not always based on sound scientific evidence. This may lead to poor MS-specific nutrition knowledge (MSNK) and food literacy (MSFL). To date, no studies have assessed MSNK and MSFL among pwMSs. Moreover, no validated tools to measure the effects of educational interventions are available. The aim of this study was to develop and validate MS-specific instruments to measure MSNK and MSFL among pwMSs. Methods: Based on a validated food literacy (FL) screener for the general population and prior research about the information needs of pwMSs, we developed 14 MSFL items and 11 MS-specific nutrition knowledge questions. Cognitive debriefing was conducted with 10 pwMSs and resulted in a 12-item MS food literacy questionnaire (MSFLQ) and an 11-item MS nutrition knowledge questionnaire (MSNKQ). After refinement, both questionnaires were pilot tested in an online survey to explore their comprehensibility. The MSNKQ was analyzed descriptively (mean and percentage of correctly answered questions). For MSFLQ item difficulty, the discriminatory power of the items, internal consistency and convergent/divergent validity were assessed. Results: In total, 148 pwMSs (age: 47.1 years (SD = 12.5); 102 women (69%)) completed the online survey. On average, participants answered 3.51/11 MSNK questions correctly (31.9%). The MSFLQ showed good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.85), item difficulty was good and the discriminatory power of the items was satisfactory. Correlations between the MSFLQ and a general food literacy questionnaire was high (r = 0.626, p < 0.001), but only small with the MSNKQ (r = 0.180; p = 0.029), underlining the different constructs. Conclusions: MSNK among pwMSs in Germany is low. The MSNKQ and MSFLQ appear to be suitable instruments to assess MSNK and MSFL and might serve as outcome measures for educational interventions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Lifestyle Behaviours for the Prevention and Management of Multiple Sclerosis)

13 pages, 1519 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Nuclear-Magnetic-Resonance-Spectroscopy-Derived Serum Biomarkers of Metabolic Vulnerability Are Associated with Disability and Neurodegeneration in Multiple Sclerosis

by Taylor R. Wicks, Irina Shalaurova, Richard W. Browne, Anna Wolska, Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, Robert Zivadinov, Alan T. Remaley, James D. Otvos and Murali Ramanathan

Nutrients 2024, 16(17), 2866; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16172866 - 27 Aug 2024

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Abstract

Purpose: Metabolic vulnerabilities can exacerbate inflammatory injury and inhibit repair in multiple sclerosis (MS). The purpose was to evaluate whether blood biomarkers of inflammatory and metabolic vulnerability are associated with MS disability and neurodegeneration. Methods: Proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were obtained from serum samples from 153 healthy controls, 187 relapsing–remitting, and 91 progressive MS patients. The spectra were analyzed to obtain concentrations of lipoprotein sub-classes, glycated acute-phase proteins, and small-molecule metabolites, including leucine, valine, isoleucine, alanine, and citrate. Composite indices for inflammatory vulnerability, metabolic malnutrition, and metabolic vulnerability were computed. MS disability was measured on the Expanded Disability Status Scale. MRI measures of lesions and whole-brain and tissue-specific volumes were acquired. Results: Valine, leucine, isoleucine, alanine, the Inflammatory Vulnerability Index, the Metabolic Malnutrition Index, and the Metabolic Vulnerability Index differed between healthy control and MS groups in regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index. The Expanded Disability Status Scale was associated with small HDL particle levels, inflammatory vulnerability, and metabolic vulnerability. Timed ambulation was associated with inflammatory vulnerability and metabolic vulnerability. Greater metabolic vulnerability and inflammatory vulnerability were associated with lower gray matter, deep gray matter volumes, and greater lateral ventricle volume. Conclusions: Serum-biomarker-derived indices of inflammatory and metabolic vulnerability are associated with disability and neurodegeneration in MS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutrition and Lifestyle Behaviours for the Prevention and Management of Multiple Sclerosis)

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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Body Composition and its Outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis: What Do We Know About Behavioral Interventions?
Authors: Ariel Kidwell-Chandler; Justin Jackson; Brenda Jeng; Stephanie Silveira; Lara Pilutti; Paul Hibbing; Robert Motl
Affiliation: Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alabama at Birmingham,Birmingham, United States
Abstract: There is emerging interest in obesity and its prevalence, outcomes, and interventions in people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). This review presents a comprehensive overview of body composition, rather than the traditional focus on BMI, for identifying and quantifying tissue types (e.g., fat, muscle, and bone) in MS. We will initially provide an outline of the concept and measurement of body composition as a general guide for MS researchers. We will next review the research quantifying body composition in people with MS, particularly focusing on differences between MS and controls. The next topic will examine body composition and associations with disease-related outcomes in people with MS. We will lastly discuss the literature on behavioral interventions involving diet/nutritional and physical activity and effects on body composition outcomes in MS. We will conclude with directions for future research on body composition and its management in MS.