A team at the University Medical Center Mainz has made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of multiple sclerosis (MS) research.
They found that a diet containing wheat can worsen MS symptoms.
This is due to amylase trypsin inhibitors (ATI), proteins naturally found in wheat, while gluten proteins, also in wheat, did not affect the inflammation.
This discovery is significant because it shows that diet and gut health can directly impact the progression of chronic inflammatory diseases like MS.
The unique aspect of this research is the identification of a specific food component, in this case, a wheat ingredient, that can aggravate inflammation.
Published in the journals Gut and Therapeutic Advances in Neurological Disorders, this research emphasizes the relationship between certain food elements and inflammatory diseases. The research team is now looking into whether a wheat-free diet can complement drug therapies for MS.
MS is an autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system. In MS, the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy nerve cells, causing continuous damage. Early symptoms often include sensory disturbances, vision problems, and muscle paralysis.
Globally, about 2.8 million people are affected by MS, with more than 250,000 cases in Germany alone. The condition is more common among young adults and women and is influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, including diet.
“Previous knowledge has shown that certain wheat proteins can trigger inflammatory reactions, like in celiac disease, where gluten from wheat causes inflammation in the small intestine,” explains Univ.-Prof. Dr. Detlef Schuppan, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School.
“But it was unclear if a wheat-rich diet could also impact diseases of the central nervous system. Our research demonstrates that ATI proteins in wheat can increase MS severity. These ATIs seem to have a more widespread role in inflammation than gluten.”
ATIs are proteins found in cereals like wheat, barley, and rye. They are not well digested and can cause mild inflammatory reactions in the intestine.
However, their impact goes beyond the intestine. Inflammatory cells and mediators activated by ATIs can travel through the bloodstream to other body parts.
The team discovered that ATIs can exacerbate inflammation in organs like the liver, lungs, and notably, the central nervous system. Therefore, they can intensify MS symptoms.
In animal models, a diet with 25% wheat significantly worsened MS symptoms compared to a wheat-free diet. This effect was observed even with minimal ATI protein content (0.15% of feed weight), but not with high gluten content (5% of feed weight).
Following this, a clinical pilot study involving patients with moderate, mildly active MS was conducted. Participants were split into two groups: one followed a wheat-reduced diet for three months, and the other continued a wheat-containing diet.
After three months, they switched diets. The patients reported less pain during the wheat-free diet, and blood tests showed fewer inflammatory immune cells.
Professor Schuppan summarizes, “Our research underscores the importance of diet and its interaction with the gut microbiome and immune system for health.
A wheat-free diet could alleviate MS and other inflammatory conditions. We plan to conduct further studies to see how a wheat-free diet might work alongside other treatments.”
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The research findings can be found in Gut.
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