Adolescent obesity boosts multiple sclerosis risk
The
FDA said on Jan. 22 it has approved a new drug called Ampyra
(dalfampridine) for treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) to improve
walking in patients with the disease.
Ampyra, made by Acorda Therapeutics, is not intended to cure MS.
According
to a statement by the drug maker, two trials showed the drug increased
the walking speed in a great number of patients by 10 to 30 percent.
While
the therapeutic effect may not look as great as many thought, Ampyra
can cause adverse effects in more than 2 percent of patients, a rate
that was significantly higher than the rate for those on a placebo.
Adverse effects include "urinary tract infection,
insomnia, dizziness, headache, nausea, asthenia, back pain, balance
disorder, multiple sclerosis relapse, paresthesia, nasopharyngitis,
constipation, dyspepsia, and pharyngolaryngeal pain," the company said
in its statement.
Additionally, when the drug is used in overdose, seizures may occur.
Multiple
sclerosis, which is believed to affect 400,000 people in the United
States alone, is an inflammatory, demyelinating, neurodegenerative
disorder that attacks the central nervous system in the brain and spine. The disease usually is diagnosed in men and women aged 20 to 50 and results in physical disability.
There
is no cure for multiple sclerosis. But previous studies suggest that
something can be done to reduce the risk for the disorder even though
its etiology remains largely unknown.
One
recent study published in the Nov. 2009 issue of Neurology suggests
that obesity during childhood and adolescence may increase the
prevalence of MS.
The
study led by K. L. Munger and colleagues at Harvard School of Public
Health in Boston, Massachusetts examined the association between
obesity during childhood, adolescence and adulthood, and the risk of
multiple sclerosis.
Study
subjects included 121,700 women in the Nurses' Health Study and 116,671
women in Nurses' Health Study II. The researchers analyzed data on
subject's body weight at age 18 and body mass index (BMI) at baseline and confirmed 593 MS cases.
Obesity
at age 18, defined as having BMI greater than 30 kg/m2, was found
associated with more than twofold increased risk of MS. While having a
large body size at ages 5 or 10 was not associated with the risk, a
large body size at age 20 was correlated with a 96 percent increased
risk for the disease.
Munger and colleagues concluded that "obese
adolescents have an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis"
and "this result suggests that prevention of adolescent obesity may
contribute to reduced MS risk."
Many
studies have also suggested vitamin D deficiency may be a risk factor
for MS. People who have high levels of serum vitamin D are found less
likely to acquire MS.
posted by: IAH,on Jan 27, 10:54
Source: Food Consumer
URL:
http://www.foodconsumer.org/newsite/Non-food/Lifestyle/adolescent_obesity_boosts_multiple_sclerosis_risk_2401100121.html