Erythrocyte membrane fatty acids in benign and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis.
BACKGROUND
There is no good explanation why a proportion of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) have a relatively benign form of the disease. An imbalance between saturated and unsaturated fatty acids (FA) might influence the disease course of MS.


OBJECTIVE
To assess whether the erythrocyte membrane fatty acid composition, which is a biological marker of long term dietary FA consumption, is different between patients with benign and progressive MS.


METHODS
The erythrocyte membrane FA composition was measured by gas chromatography in 23 healthy controls, 27 patients with benign MS, 32 patients with secondary progressive MS and 23 patients with primary progressive MS. None of the patients was following a special diet.


RESULTS
No significant differences in levels of saturated and unsaturated FA or in omega-3- and omega-6-polyunsaturated FA were found between controls and patients with the different subtypes of MS.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that factors other than dietary fatty acid consumption are responsible for the different disease courses of MS.
Koch
Marcus
M
Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands. m.w.koch@neuro.umcg.nl
Ramsaransing
Geeta S M
GS
Fokkema
M Rebecca
MR
Heersema
Dorothea J
DJ
De Keyser
Jacques
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000378:metabolism*; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated / Q000378:metabolism; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020528:Multiple Sclerosis, Chronic Progressive / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*
D004041:Dietary Fats; D005227:Fatty Acids; D005231:Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; D008563:Membrane Lipids