Association between dietary patterns and the risk of multiple sclerosis among Tehranian adults :a case control study in Tehran, Iran -

Abstract

In nutritional epidemiology, studies on the relation between human diet and disease traditionally evaluated the effects of single nutrients or foods. However, the study of individual nutrients ignored the combined effect of food intake that may be associated with disease. An alternate approach to this single nutrient approach is the study of dietary patterns or combination of foods eaten together. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is the major neurologic disease that affects young adults in most regions of the world, including Middle East and particularly Iran. In addition to other factors, diet has been postulated as a factor that might modify the risk of developing the disease. In this study we investigated the role of diet in the etiology of multiple sclerosis, using a case control study conducted in Tehran between 2011 and 2012. Our objectives also included deriving and characterizing the dietary patterns in study populations, determining relationship between dietary patterns and MS, determining the relationship between consumption of macronutrients and selected micronutrients and risk of developing MS, and assessing the adequacy of dietary intake among study population. A total of 70 cases of MS who were not diagnosed more than 1 year prior to study and 140 controls were selected. Controls were matched by age and sex with controls. Data collection included a brief socio-demographic form. Dietary intake during the last 12 months was evaluated via a semi-quantitative 125-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). In addition, anthropometric measurements including weight, height were obtained. Using factor analysis, two dietary patterns were identified. A “Healthy pattern” characterized by high intake of vegetables, fruits, Cereals, whole grain, Low fat dairy, pickles, and olives. On the other hand “Unhealthy pattern” encompassed high intakes of soft drinks, sugars, processed meat, mayonnaise, tea and coffee, snacks, eggs, animal butter, and confectionary and desserts. Adjusted logistic regressio