Weekend Update, Friday May 24th, 2013- A weekly roundup and commentary on news stories released over the past week relating to multiple sclerosis. I normally post this on Sunday, but we’re moving this weekend and I had time this evening.

New grant money will fund multiple sclerosis research in Australia; Vitamin D link to be studied

News was released this week that a Commonwealth grant of one million dollars will advance and expand MS research in Australia .You can read the full article here.

The part of the news release which caught my eye was mention of a new trial which, ” look(ed) to expand and recruit enough patients to get a statistical bearing on whether Vitamin D might slow the progress of MS.” I wrote about the potential link between multiple sclerosis and vitamin D on Wednesday and I’ll be very interested to see the results of this trial when it is completed.

Multiple Sclerosis striking youth in India

A new report was released this week regarding the increase in the incidence of MS in India’s young population with 70-80% of MS patients falling between 18-35 years of age. The report, which you can read here, quotes professor Kameshwar Prasad as stating, “There are no concrete reasons for the cause of the disease and it is not on the government’s priority as in India the disease burden is less as compared to western countries.”

I wonder if any researcher has looked to see if the increase in MS among India’s young people correlates with the increase of processed western foods entering the Indian diet? A ridiculous thought I know, but one which crossed my mind.

Clean cuisine: Anti-inflammatory diet helps multiple sclerosis patient keep symptoms at bay

A new story was released 10 days ago about a Florida Woman’s anecdotal account of how she keeps her MS at bay using an anti-inflammatory diet. Ivy Larson claims to have kept her MS in remission for 15 years without drugs and by using diet alone. She states in the article, “You’re definitely not cured once you have MS because there isn’t a cure to date. Hopefully there will be but it’s kept my symptoms in remission so I don’t feel as if I have MS.”

You can read the full article here.

This new story is 100% anecdotal, however it is one of a multitude of stories like Dr. Terry Wahls and others who have claimed to have changed their MS through diet. Us MS diet people may all be crazy, but until there is actually as much research money put into diet with regard to MS as the money directed towards pharmaceuticals, we’ll never know. We’ll just know how we feel.

Until next time,

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