Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory and demyelinating multifactorial disease that results from the interplay between environmental factors and a susceptible genetic background. Omega (ω)-3/ω-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and some vitamins have been shown to reduce the number and severity of relapses and the overall progression of disability in multiple sclerosis patients, however clinical trials remain inconclusive due to a plethora of reasons. In this randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled trial aiming to provide concrete conclusions for the role of PUFAs and vitamins A and E (both gamma (γ) and alpha (α)) in multiple sclerosis. By measuring the incorporation and changes of the lipid composition in red blood cell (RBC) membranes before and after the dietary intervention, and by correlating the efficacy of the different interventions with disease progression, it was shown that supplementation with these specific molecules (that can either act on their own or synergistically) could probably cause the decrease of arachidonic acid (AA) and linoleic acid (LA) from the RBC membranes and the subsequent substitution by eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). These events parallel the clinical observations where this can be correlated with the increased number of relapse activity occurring in the first six months of treatment and later with a prolonged period of remission. Supplementation with the mixture of PUFAs (both ω3 and ω6), vitamin E as gamma tocopherol significantly reduced the annualised relapse rate (ARR) and the risk of sustained disability progression without any reported serious adverse events.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:702954 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Loucaides, George N. |
| Publisher | London Metropolitan University |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://repository.londonmet.ac.uk/1169/ |
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