Multiple sclerosis: what's it got to do with your guts?

Adrian Burton

doi:10.1016/s1474-4422(17)30468-4

Abstract

Multiple sclerosis: what's it got to do with your guts?

Highlights

Might the gut microbiota of people with multiple sclerosis differ from that of healthy people? Do some bacteria aggravate symptoms? Are other species protective? Could we treat patients by manipulating their intestinal microbes? Work is underway to find out
The maturation and functioning of the immune system, the appearance of allergies, malignancies, diabetes, inflammatory bowel syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, obesity, fatty liver disease, the intensity of menopausal symptoms, perhaps even our basic lifespan—all these things and more are thought to be influenced by the bugs in our bowels
“When we looked at the general composition of the gut microbiota in preliminary work, we didn’t see much difference between pair members

Summary

Introduction

Might the gut microbiota of people with multiple sclerosis differ from that of healthy people? Do some bacteria aggravate symptoms? Are other species protective? Could we treat patients by manipulating their intestinal microbes? Work is underway to find out. Might the gut microbiota of people with multiple sclerosis differ from that of healthy people? A fundamental question for the project is, whether the gut microbiota of people who have MS differs from that of people who do not.

Results

Conclusion