Nutrition in Multiple Sclerosis: An integrative review of scientific publications from the last 5 years

Abstract

This study analyzed the profile of scientific production related to the nutritional aspects of the etiology and/or progress of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). We conducted an integrative review that analyzed 64 works published in English, Spanish or Portuguese between 2012 and 2017 on the relationship between nutrition and MS. There was a predominance of studies in humans (54.0%, n= 34) and randomized clinical trials (38.3%, n= 13). The association between vitamin D and etiology progression and/or development of disabilities resulting from MS was the most studied aspect (30.2%, n= 19), followed by studies that evaluated the importance of fat concentration and/or types for MS risk (22.2%, n= 14), and research that analyzed the role of antioxidant vitamins (19.0%; n= 12) in the disease development and/ or evolution. The study showed that most research involves small samples and that a healthy diet contributes to the prevention and mitigation of disease evolution. However, this affirmation cannot be made with regards to dietary supplements. Further research is necessary, from crosssectional studies to randomized clinical trials considering the wide knowledge gap on this subject.