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To assess the intake of nutrients in people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) compared to a control population, and to assess the pro/ anti-inflammatory properties of nutrients/ foods and their relationships with fatigue and quality of life. This was a cross sectional study in which 2410 pwMS (686 men; 1721 women, 3 n/a, mean age 53 (11 years)) provided dietary data using a food frequency questionnaire that was hosted on the MS Register for a period of 3 months and this was compared to a cohort of 24,852 controls (11,250 male, 13,602 female, mean age 59 years). Consent was implied by anonymously filling out the questionnaire. A Wilcoxon test was used to compare intake between pwMS and controls, and a bivariate analyses followed by chi2 test were undertaken to identify significance and the strength of the relationship between pro/anti-inflammatory dietary factors and fatigue and EQ-5D. Compared to controls, all nutrients were significantly lower in the MS group (P <.05). Bivariate associations showed a significant correlation between consuming fish and lower clinical fatigue (χ2(1) = 4.221, P <.05), with a very low association (φ (phi) = −0.051, P =.04. Positive health outcomes on the EQ-5D measures were associated with higher carotene, magnesium oily fish and fruits and vegetable and sodium consumption (P <.05). Fiber, red meat, and saturated fat (women only) consumption was associated with worse outcomes on the EQ-5D measures (P <.05). pwMS have different dietary intakes compared to controls, and this may be associated with worse symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims The Mediterranean diet, which is palatable and easily achievable, has been associated with lower all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality. Data on heart failure (HF) and stroke types are lacking. The aim was to examine a Mediterranean diet in relation to incidence of myocardial infarction (MI), HF and stroke types in a Swedish prospective cohort. Methods In a population-based cohort of 32,921 women, diet was assessed through a self-administered questionnaire. The modified Mediterranean diet (mMED) score was created based on high consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, fermented dairy products, fish and monounsaturated fat, moderate intakes of alcohol and low consumption of red meat, on a 0–8 scale. Relative risks (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusted for potential confounders, were estimated by Cox proportional hazards regression models. Results During 10 y of follow-up (1998–2008), 1109 MIs, 1648 HFs, 1270 ischemic strokes and 262 total hemorrhagic strokes were ascertained. A high adherence to the mMED score (6–8), compared to low, was associated with a lower risk of MI (RR: 0.74, 95% CI: 0.61–0.90, p = 0.003), HF (RR: 0.79, 95% CI: 0.68–0.93, p = 0.004) and ischemic stroke (RR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.65–0.93, p = 0.007), but not hemorrhagic stroke (RR: 0.88, 95% CI: 0.61–1.29, p = 0.53). Conclusions Better adherence to a Mediterranean diet was associated with lower risk of MI, HF and ischemic stroke. The Mediterranean diet is most likely to be beneficial in primary prevention of all major types of atherosclerosis-related CVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]