Medical News
Children with obesity are at increased risk of multiple sclerosis
Research provides another clue to the cause of the disabling condition
Obese children are twice as likely to develop multiple sclerosis ( MS ) in early adulthood as their peers without obesity , according to a study conducted at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden .
MS is a potentially disabling condition that weakens the brain and the nervous system , leading to communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body . Symptoms include vision problems , muscle stiffness , and difficulty walking or keeping balance and thinking clearly . In some people , the damage to the nerves is so extensive that they can ’ t walk anymore . Currently , there ’ s no cure for MS , and treatments can only reduce symptoms and improve quality of life . The World Health Organization ( WHO ) estimates that more than 1.8 million people have MS worldwide .
Though previous research had already established a link between obesity and MS , those findings were based on retrospective studies that weren ’ t designed to specifically look into the association . By contrast , the new study is a prospective analysis that compared more than 21,600 obese children with more than 100,000 peers without obesity in the general population . Data were collected from the Swedish Childhood Obesity Treatment Register , one of the largest registers for treatment of obesity in children . Both groups were followed up for about six years and researchers diagnosed MS in 0.13 percent of children in the obesity group and in 0.06 percent in the general
population . The average age of diagnosis was 23 for both groups .
The researchers acknowledged that the study follow-up time was limited , but nonetheless they stressed the results showed MS risk increased by twofold in people who were obese in childhood compared to those who were not .
“ One of the effects of obesity in childhood is that it causes a low-grade but chronic in�ammation , and most probably this in�ammation increases the risk to develop several diseases such as MS ,” the study authors told the Guardian .
“ It is also believed that chronic low-grade in�ammation increases the risk for other such diseases as asthma , arthritis , type 1 diabetes , and some forms of cancers ,” they said . “ However , we know that weight loss reduces the in�ammation and most likely the risk to develop such diseases .”
MS is the result of the immune system attacking the brain and spinal cord by mistake . However , it ’ s unknown why this happens . Both genetic and environmental factors are believed to play a role .
“ This research adds to our understanding of the role obesity plays in MS risk , particularly its in�uence in childhood ,” Dr Clare Walton , head of research at the MS Society , told the Independent . “ More than 130,000 people live with MS in the UK today , and research like this is important to help us predict how the number of people living with MS may change in the future .”
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