Higher Ultraprocessed Food Intake Tied to Increased Multiple Sclerosis Disease Activity

THURSDAY, Oct. 2, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Higher ultraprocessed food (UPF) intake is linked to increased inflammatory multiple sclerosis (MS) disease activity over two to five years of follow-up, according to a study presented at the 41st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, held Sept. 24 to 26 in Barcelona, Spain.

Gloria Dalla Costa, M.D., from Harvard University in Boston, and colleagues examined whether a validated metabolomic signature of UPF intake is associated with MS disease activity in patients with a first demyelinating event. The analysis included 451 patients with clinically isolated syndrome who were randomly assigned to receive interferon beta-1b or placebo and were followed for five years.

The researchers found that during the study period, 208 patients converted to clinically definite MS. There was no difference in conversion status by UPF scores. There was an association seen between higher UPF scores and greater T1 hypointense lesion volume (β, 0.001) and lower Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite scores (β, –0.194) at baseline. At five years, participants in the highest UPF quartile experienced more frequent relapses (top versus bottom quartile: adjusted risk ratio [aRR], 1.30; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.06 to 1.59), a higher rate of new active lesions by two years (aRR, 1.08; 95 percent CI, 1.00 to 1.17), and a larger increase in T2 lesion volume by two years (β, 173.97 mm³), independent of other prognostic factors.

“This pattern suggests ultraprocessed foods act as a chronic inflammatory accelerant rather than a disease trigger, amplifying existing inflammatory processes in MS rather than determining whether someone develops the disease in the first place,” Costa said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed ties to relevant organizations.

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