Alcohol possibly slows down muscle disease MS

The right lifestyle might help MS-patients a lot.

The right lifestyle might help MS-patients a lot.

It’s very well possible that alcohol can slow down the breakdown of the human body caused by the muscle disease MS (multiple sclerosis). At least for the ‘relapsing-remitting’ form of the disease. That’s the conclusion Dutch and Belgian researchers draw in the European Journal of Neurology. Besides alcohol the progress of MS would also be slowed down by coffee and fish.

Researcher Marie D’Hooghe and his colleagues specifically looked at the connection between the consumption of alcohol, coffee, tea, fish and cigarettes to the course of the disease with relapsing MS and progressive MS. 1372 Belgian MS-patients filled in a survey about their consumption of these products. They were also asked at what moment they needed a cane to cross a 100 meter distance. Their answers showed that the patients with relapsing MS who consumed alcohol, wine, coffee and fish on a regular basis needed a cane less fast than the ones who didn’t. The difference between these groups was 4 to 7 years. Smoking on the other hand only increased the development of the disease. In the group with progressive MS there was no difference.

These findings support the theory that certain biological mechanisms cause relapsing and progressive MS, states D’Hooghe, although they don’t want to draw any premature conclusions. Further research is required to determine for sure what lifestyle is most profitable for people who suffer from relapsing MS. To be continued.

Micky Bumbar

 More posts on alcohol and science

6 thoughts on “Alcohol possibly slows down muscle disease MS

  1. Pingback: Public Health England is spreading dirty lies about alcohol and liver disease | Lords of the Drinks

  2. Pingback: 11 health benefits of alcohol consumption | Lords of the Drinks

    • Hope it helps. Have a good weekend!
      Cheers,
      Micky

      LikeLike

      Reply

Leave a Reply