Multiple Sclerosis risk reduced by a third in those getting a lot of ALA (fatty acid) – Jan 2017

Polyunsaturated fatty acids and the risk of multiple sclerosis.

Multiple Sclerosis Journal, 23(14), 1830-1838, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1177/1352458517691150
Kjetil Bjørnevik - University of Bergen
Tanuja Chitnis - Brigham and Women's Hospital
Alberto Ascherio - Harvard University

VitaminDWiki

Less than 6% of ALA is metabolized to EPA
The upper level EPA food intake of the 150,000 women was 8% of their upper ALA intake
So, the ALA benefit might actually have been due to the resulting EPA in the body
EPA intake did not help AFTER being adjusted for Vitamin D levels
- Thus: EPA weight was adjusted down for those taking a lot of vitamin D
Note - this study is based on food questionaries given every 4 years
- The study is also based on a total of only 30 MS cases in 300,000 study years ( 1 per 10,000 case years)

20 Amazing Health Benefits of Alpha Linolenic Acid which makes EPA and DHA (Omega-3) Dec 2017 includes the following

Health Benefits of Alpha Linolenic Acid
1) ALA Prevents Obesity
2) ALA Improves The Skin
3) ALA May Reduce Cancer Risk
ALA and Prostate Cancer Risk
4) ALA Protects Against Diabetes
5) ALA Protects Against Stroke
6) ALA Improves Heart Health
7) ALA Reduces High Blood Pressure
8) ALA Reduces Inflammation
9) ALA May Improve Gut Health
10) ALA May Improve Kidney Function
ALA for Treatment of Lupus-Induced Kidney Problems
11) ALA May Prevent Allergic Reactions
12) ALA Reduces Risk of Respiratory Infections
13) ALA May Help Treat Stomach Ulcers
14) ALA Improves Eye Health
15) ALA Reduces Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
16) ALA Improves Constipation and Diarrhea
17) ALA May Reduce Depression Risk
18) ALA May Improve Rheumatoid Arthritis
19) ALA May Increase Lifespan
20) ALA and ADHD

See also VitaminDWiki

Vitamin D and Omega-3 category starts with

408 Omega-3 items in category Omega-3 helps with: Autism (7 studies), Depression (28 studies), Cardiovascular (34 studies), Cognition (52 studies), Pregnancy (44 studies), Infant (34 studies), Obesity (14 studies), Mortality (7 studies), Breast Cancer (5 studies), Smoking, Sleep, Stroke, Longevity, Trauma (12 studies), Inflammation (18 studies), Multiple Sclerosis (9 studies), VIRUS (12 studies), etc
CIlck here for details

Download the PDF from Sci-Hub via VitaminDWiki

BACKGROUND: Results from previous studies on polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) intake and multiple sclerosis (MS) risk are conflicting.

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively investigate the association between dietary intake of PUFA and MS risk.

METHODS: We followed 80,920 women from Nurses' Health Study (1984-2004) and 94,511 women from Nurses' Health Study II (1991-2009) who reported on diet using a validated food frequency questionnaire every 4 years and identified 479 incident MS cases during follow-up. We used Cox regression to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs), for the effect of PUFA intake on MS risk adjusting for age, latitude of residence at age 15, ancestry, cigarette smoking, supplemental vitamin D intake, body mass index, and total energy intake.

RESULTS: Higher intake of total PUFA at baseline was associated with a lower risk of MS (HR top vs bottom quintile: 0.67, 95% CI: 0.49-0.90, p trend = 0.01).
Among the specific types of PUFA, only α-linolenic acid (ALA) was inversely associated with MS risk (HR top vs bottom quintile: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.45-0.83, p trend = 0.001). The long-chain fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) were not associated with MS risk.

CONCLUSION: Low dietary PUFA intake may be another modifiable risk factor for MS.