Highlights
- •Obesity in early childhood and adolescence is a significant risk factor for multiple sclerosis development.
- •Obesity is characterized by chronic low-grade systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation.
- •Gut microbiota plays a potential role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis.
- •Gut microbiota dysregulation could represent a connection between obesity and multiple sclerosis.
Abstract
Obesity is associated with chronic mild-grade systemic inflammation and neuroinflammation.
Obesity in early childhood and adolescence is also a significant risk factor for multiple
sclerosis (MS) development. However, the underlying mechanisms that explain the link
between obesity and MS development are not fully explored. An increasing number of
studies call attention to the importance of gut microbiota as a leading environmental
risk factor mediating inflammatory central nervous system demyelination, particularly
in MS. Obesity and high-calorie diet are also associated with disturbances in gut
microbiota. Therefore, gut microbiota alteration is a plausible connection between
obesity and the increased risk of MS development. A greater understanding of this
connection could provide additional therapeutic opportunities, like dietary interventions,
microbiota-derived products, and exogenous antibiotics and probiotics. This review
summarizes the current evidence regarding the relationships between MS, obesity, and
gut microbiota. We discuss gut microbiota as a potential link between obesity and
increased risk for MS. Additional experimental studies and controlled clinical trials
targeting gut microbiota are warranted to unravel the possible causal relationship
between obesity and increased risk of MS.
Graphical_abstract
Graphical Abstract
Keywords
Abbreviations:
BBB (blood-brain-barrier), BMI (Body mass index), CRP (C-reactive protein), CSF (cerebrospinal fluid), EAE (experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis), GF (germ-free), LCFA (long-chain fatty acids), LPS (lipopolysaccharides), MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), MS (Multiple sclerosis), pwMS (people with multiple sclerosis), RRMS (Relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis), SCFA (short-chain fatty acids), SPMS (secondary-progressive multiple sclerosis)To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 18, 2023
Accepted:
May 17,
2023
Received in revised form:
May 16,
2023
Received:
April 30,
2023
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