Multiple Sclerosis Disability, Fatigue Reduced With Caffeine Intake

The following article is part of live conference coverage from the 2018 ACTRIMS Forum in San Diego, California. Neurology Advisor’s staff will be reporting breaking news associated with research conducted by leading experts in neurology. Check back for the latest news from ACTRIMS 2018.

Caffeine intake may reduce multiple sclerosis (MS)-related disability and fatigue, according to new research presented at the 2018 ACTRIMS Forum in San Diego, California.

Mohammad Bagher Maljaie, from the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran, and colleagues recruited 126 patients with MS (42 with relapsing remitting MS [RRMS], 42 with primary progressive MS, and 42 with secondary progressive MS [SPMS]) to participate in a 168-item food frequency questionnaire that examined dietary intake of caffeine. Medical history, Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score, and fatigue questionnaire responses were also recorded.

Overall, mean EDSS and fatigue scale scores were worse in patients with secondary progressive MS and primary progressive MS compared with RRMS. Caffeine intake was significantly associated with lower EDSS scores in the RRMS subgroup (P =.031) and lower fatigue scores in all participants (P =.028).

“Caffeine consumption may exert a protective role against [MS],” concluded the researchers. Future studies should recruit a larger and more diverse population to prove the correlation.

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Reference

Maljaie MB, Shaygannejad V, Moosavian SP, Mirmosayyeb O. Relationship between caffeine intake, EDSS, and fatigue scale in patients with multiple sclerosis. Presented at: ACTRIMS Forum 2018; February 1-3, 2018; San Diego, CA. Abstract #P240.