Can Soda Improve MS Symptoms?

While tea and coffee may have negative impacts on multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, soft drinks can have a positive effect, according to a new study.

The study, which was authored by Dr Mohammad Bagher Maljaei and colleagues, was presented at the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum on Friday, March 1.

To assess the relationship between the consumption of tea, coffee, and soft drinks with the Expanded Disability Status Scale and Fatigue Scale in patients with MS, the researchers analyzed data on 126 participants with MS who had received magnetic resonance imaging assessments of their brain and spinal cord at an MS clinic in Iran.

Of those participants, 42 had relapsing remitting MS, 42 had primary progressive MS, and 42 had secondary progressive MS.

Each participant completed a 168-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, which the researchers used to measure for dietary intake of tea, coffee, and soft drinks. The medical history questionnaire, Expanded Disability Status Scale, and Fatigue Scale questionnaire of each participant were also recorded.

Those with secondary progressive MS and primary progressive MS had significantly higher mean standard deviation of Expanded Disability Status Scale and Fatigue Scale than those with relapsing remitting MS. And while the dietary intakes of coffee and tea in the relapsing remitting MS group were higher than in the other 2 groups, the difference was not significant.

Participants with relapsing remitting MS had experienced a negative significant association between coffee intake and Expanded Disability Status Scale. Meanwhile, participants in all the groups had a significant negative correlation between tea intake and Fatigue Scale.

Soft drinks proved to have a positive significant impact on Expanded Disability Status Scale.

“Our study demonstrated that there is a negative significant correlation between intakes of tea with fatigue scale in all participants,” the researchers concluded.

“In addition, dietary intakes of coffee can decrease Expanded Disability Status Scale in relapsing remitting MS patients, and drinks with caffeine may exert a protective role against multiple sclerosis. The concern of high tea/coffee intake is dehydration induced caffeine. Further studies with larger sample sizes and other population needed to prove this correlation.”

—Colleen Murphy

Reference:

Maljaei MB, Shaygannejad V, Mirmosayyeb O, Namjoo I, Bahreini A. The relationship between consumption of tea, coffee and soft drinks with disability in patients with multiple sclerosis. Paper presented at: Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS) Forum; February 28-March 2; Dallas, TX. https://actrims.confex.com/actrims/2019/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/3872. Accessed March 1, 2019.