A key factor for stopping MS progression discovered

Some people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) experience such a slow progression that they may never really suffer severe symptoms.

Others, however, progress extremely fast and experience significant suffering at a younger age.

So what is the difference?

How can you be among those in the first group?

According to a new study published in Brain Communications, the key lies in a common factor outside the nervous system—a factor that’s easily manageable and could influence the course of MS.

Systemic inflammation is extremely common these days and can be caused by anything from obesity to diabetes to heart disease to arthritis. Even urinary tract infections and flu cause inflammation.

Researchers from the University of Southampton wondered whether systemic inflammation could contribute to nerve destruction in MS.

They followed 50 individuals with progressive forms of MS over two and a half years, focusing on the relationship between systemic inflammation and spinal cord atrophy.

They measured systemic inflammation in the study participants by analyzing their weekly urine samples for markers of inflammation. They also performed MRI scans at the beginning and end of the study to assess changes in the brain and spinal cord.

The study revealed several important findings.

1. Systemic inflammation could predict spinal cord atrophy. Participants with higher levels of systemic inflammation showed much greater shrinkage in their spinal cords over the study period.

2. While both the brain and spinal cord experienced atrophy, the cervical spinal cord (the upper part of the spinal cord near the neck) was most affected. This finding is significant because the cervical spinal cord is crucial for motor functions, and damage to this part of the spine can lead to severe disability.

3. There was a time lag between the onset of systemic inflammation and the development of spinal cord atrophy, suggesting that systemic inflammation does in fact cause the progression of MS.

4. For individuals with lower background inflammation, a higher inflammatory response was linked to faster cord atrophy. However, in those with higher background inflammation, this association was less pronounced.

This proves that minimizing systemic inflammation is a key strategy to slow the progression of MS.

Interestingly, I’ve helped hundreds of people treat their MS and one of my key strategies is to tackle inflammation naturally. You can learn the exact steps I use here…