Vascular factors affect MS disease progression

I know, I know.  You'd think it would be obvious by now that the heart and brain are connected, and that vascular health has an impact on MS disease process.   But in the 10+ years I've been following MS research, it seems as though researchers are continually surprised when they learn that cardiovascular comorbidities have an impact on MS progression.

There are two new research papers from Canadian MS specialists, published in the AAN journal Neurology, which have found a connection between blood flow and MS progression.  I am thankful to know that Dr. Helen Tremlett's team continues to look at this connectivity--- but frustrated by the lack of recommendations being made by MS Societies and MS specialists regarding lifestyle interventions like nutrition and exercise.  There is still a huge disconnect.

The first paper found that people with hyperlipidemia (which is an abnormally high content of fats in the blood---measured by LDL cholesterol numbers)  and migraine had an increased MS relapse rate.  
Link to "Comorbidity increases the risk of relapse in MS"

The second paper also looks at cardiovascular comorbidities, like ischemic heart disease and found a link in disease progression and disability.  link to "Effects of physical comorbidities on disability progression in MS"

The Centre for Brain Heath in Canada has recently published an article on this research, in which Dr. Tremlett says---

"Our findings suggest that if you could alter the trajectory of a comorbidity, you may be able to improve outcomes in MS.”
link

And how do patients reduce heart disease, lower their LDL cholesterol, improve vascular comorbidities?   Well, no surprise here.  Researchers don't want to say, they would like funding for more research.

“This suggests that we may need to take a more holistic approach to managing MS and related comorbidities,” says Dr. Zhang. “Effective treatment for each comorbidity may reduce disability risk. We need more research to identify the most appropriate treatment approach for each comorbidity in MS.”

Information for the disability progression study came from health administrative data across Canada, with nearly 30 years of anonymized clinical records providing detailed insight into the relationship between comorbidities present before and after MS symptom onset and disability progression over time.

Dr. Roy Swank published on ALL of this in the 1950s.  And he was routinely mocked by MS neurologists who felt that MS was an autoimmune disease which could not be altered by diet and lifestyle.  But they were wrong.   link

Don't let another 60 years go by.  Take control of your life, your own health today.  Eat a heart healthy, colorful diet full of plants, move as much as you can, get UV rays, decrease stress and increase laughter.  Get good sleep, don't smoke, stay involved in community and learning.  Because science shows that these things can make a difference in your MS disease process.  link

The heart brain connection is real.

Joan