Effect of dietary advice and n-3 supplementation in newly diagnosed MS patients

To investigate whether supplementation with fish oil given together with di etary advice and vitamin supplementation influenced the clinical outcome il l newly diagnosed multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Material and methods - Sixteen consecutive, newly diagnosed patients with multiple sclerosis were recruited to an open intervention study. They were given dietary advice and supplemented with 0.9 g/day of long-chain marine fatty acids and vitamins. The patients were followed for 2 years with respect to dietary habits, blo od parameters and neurological assessment including exacerbation rate. Resu lts - There was a significant reduction in the mean annual exacerbation rat e and the mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) as compared to pre-s tudy values. The plasma total phospholipid n-3 fatty acids increased and n- 6 fatty acids decreased significantly. Conclusions - The results suggest th at fish oil supplementation given together with vitamins and dietary advice can improve clinical outcome in patients with newly diagnosed MS.