Dietary supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids in acute remitting multiple sclerosis

Summary

Fifty eight patients with acute remitting multiple sclerosis were included in a double-blind controlled trial of dietary supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids. Patients in the ‘treatment’ group received a spread containing linoleic acid and those in the ‘control’ group received oleic acid in a similar spread. There were no significant differences between the composition of the ‘treatment’ and ‘control’ groups, nor was there any significant difference in rate of clinical deterioration or frequency of acute exacerbations. There was evidence that exacerbations were of shorter duration and lesser severity in patients whose diet was supplemented with linoleic acid than in ‘control’ patients.

This cohort of patients was then included in a total series of 172 patients with clinically definite acute remitting multiple sclerosis from centres in Belfast, Newcastle upon Tyne and London, Ontario involved in similar trials. The suspicion that some of the differences noted in the individual trials might vary with respect to severity of the disease has been confirmed by the combined analysis from the three centres. These and other results from the combined figures are discussed and possible reasons for the effects of this therapy identified.