{"id":675300,"date":"2026-11-05T02:58:12","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T02:58:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/675300\/"},"modified":"2026-11-05T02:58:12","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T02:58:12","slug":"review-casts-doubt-on-clinical-benefits-of-a-gluten-free-diet-in-ms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/675300\/","title":{"rendered":"Review casts doubt on clinical benefits of a gluten-free diet in MS"},"content":{"rendered":"

Adhering to diets that exclude gluten may lead to improvements in fatigue, quality of life, and some measures of disability in people with multiple sclerosis<\/a> (MS),\u00a0but it remains unclear whether these benefits stem from avoiding gluten itself or other dietary changes, a review of six studies found.<\/p>\n

Overall, the evidence was of very low certainty for all seven outcomes assessed, and the researchers found no convincing evidence that eliminating gluten improves MS disease activity or disability.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrent evidence does not establish that gluten elimination itself confers clinical benefit,\u201d researchers wrote. \u201cAdequately powered randomised trials that isolate gluten elimination, objectively verify adherence, and use clinically meaningful outcomes with longer follow-up are required.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study, \u201cGluten-Free and Gluten-Restricted Diets in Multiple Sclerosis: A Systematic Review of Disease Activity and Patient-Reported Outcomes<\/a>,\u201d was published in the journal Nutrients.<\/p>\n

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\"An<\/p>\n

Conflicting evidence prompts review<\/p>\n

MS is a chronic disease marked by inflammation that damages the brain and spinal cord. While several treatments are available to reduce disease activity and prevent disability, many people with MS use diet<\/a> to help manage their symptoms and improve overall health.\u00a0Some avoid gluten, a protein found in wheat and certain other grains, in the hope of reducing inflammation or improving disease outcomes.<\/p>\n

But evidence supporting the impact of a gluten-free diet<\/a> in MS is mixed<\/a>. Some studies suggest a gluten-free diet may ease disability and improve body composition<\/a>, while others have found no association<\/a> between gluten and MS disease activity.<\/p>\n

Given the conflicting evidence, a team led by researchers in Saudi Arabia conducted a review of published studies to assess whether gluten-free diets can help with MS.\u00a0The analysis included six studies published between 2014 and 2025 that enrolled 20 to 186 people with MS, with follow-up ranging from about three months to 5.3 years.<\/p>\n

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\"DNA<\/p>\n

Interventions varied considerably<\/p>\n

The interventions varied considerably. Some studies examined gluten-free diets, while others tested broader dietary patterns that also restricted foods such as dairy, potatoes, legumes, or saturated fat. Because of these differences, the researchers summarized the findings rather than combining them in a pooled analysis.<\/p>\n

Results from two non-randomized studies showed improvements in disability,\u00a0assessed using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS),\u00a0among people following a gluten-free diet.<\/p>\n

A 2014 study involving 72 adults with relapsing-remitting MS<\/a> (RRMS) reported lower EDSS scores among participants who adhered to a gluten-free diet than among those who did not (1.5 vs. 2.1 points). Fewer participants in the gluten-free group also had active lesions on MRI scans (28% vs. 67%), but relapses rates did not differ significantly between groups.<\/p>\n

A 2025 study involving 54 women with RRMS also found a greater reduction in EDSS scores over six months with a gluten-free diet than with a regular diet. The gluten-free group also had a greater reduction in waist circumference and levels of LPS, a compound produced by bacteria that can promote inflammation.<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0neither study randomly assigned participants to their diets, so the findings may reflect differences between people who did and did not follow a gluten-free diet rather than the effects of gluten avoidance.<\/p>\n

Across studies, evidence certainty very low for all outcomes assessed<\/p>\n

In contrast, a 2023 crossover trial<\/a> in which participants were randomly assigned to a diet found no significant difference in EDSS scores between periods of usual and reduced wheat intake.\u00a0The wheat-reduced period was associated with changes in some inflammatory immune cells and improved pain-related quality of life, but no clear benefits were seen for disability or disease activity.<\/p>\n

Other studies tested dietary patterns that excluded gluten alongside other foods, making it difficult to determine gluten\u2019s contribution to any improvements.<\/p>\n

A 2017 study tested a modified Paleolithic diet that removed gluten, dairy, potatoes, and legumes. Results showed improvements in\u00a0in fatigue, mental quality of life, and fine motor performance in the dominant hand, but walking and cognitive measures did not improve.<\/p>\n

[Current evidence] does not support a gluten-free diet as a disease-modifying treatment for MS. Until such evidence is available, gluten avoidance should be regarded as an investigational adjunct rather than an established MS therapy.<\/p>\n

Similarly, the 2021 WAVES trial (NCT02914964)<\/a> compared a modified Paleolithic elimination diet (Wahls diet) with the Swank diet, which is low on saturated fats, in people with RRMS. Both groups experienced improvements in fatigue and mental quality of life, but neither showed a significant change in walking function.<\/p>\n

A 2023 observational study found no significant association between gluten intake and disease activity, measured using no evidence of disease activity-3 \u2014 meaning no relapses, no disability progression, and no new MRI activity. However,\u00a0 only eight of the 186 participants reported following a gluten-free diet.<\/p>\n

Across all studies, researchers rated evidence certainty as very low for all outcomes assessed. Fatigue and quality of life improved most consistently in the multi-component dietary trials, but the findings fail to establish that eliminating gluten improves MS outcomes.<\/p>\n

In their conclusion, the researchers wrote that the current evidence \u201cdoes not support a gluten-free diet as a disease-modifying treatment for MS. Until such evidence is available, gluten avoidance should be regarded as an investigational adjunct rather than an established MS therapy.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Adhering to diets that exclude gluten may lead to improvements in fatigue, quality of life, and some measures…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":675301,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[103,61,60,446],"class_list":["post-675300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-nutrition"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=675300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/675301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=675300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=675300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=675300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}