title: Mediterranean diet adherence and risk of multiple sclerosis: a case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We conducted a hospital-based, case-control study to examine the association between Mediterranean diet (MD) and the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Iran.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 70 patients with MS and 142 controls underwent face-to-face interviews in the major neurological clinics of Tehran, Iran. Adherence to a MD was assessed using the 9-unit dietary score, to evaluate the level of conformity of the individual's diet to the Mediterranean dietary pattern. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Higher consumption of fruits (OR=0.28, 95% CI: 0.12-0.63, p-value: 0.002) and vegetables (OR=0.23, 95% CI: 0.10-0.53, p-value: 0.001) were significantly associated with reduced MS risk. In both age adjusted and multivariate adjusted model, the OR of MS decreased significantly in the third as compared to the first tertile of MD score (age adjusted OR: 0.21, 95% CI: 0.06-0.67; p-trend: 0.01, Multivariate adjusted OR: 0.23, 95% CI: 0.06-0.89, p-trend: 0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study suggests that a high quality diet assessed by MD may decrease the risk of MS.
authors.affiliation: Community Nutrition Department, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute (WHO Collaborating Center), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sedaghat
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Mahsa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jessri
authors.affiliation: Community Nutrition Department, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute (WHO Collaborating Center), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Behrooz
authors.affiliation: Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute (WHO Collaborating Center), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mostafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mirghotbi
authors.affiliation: Community Nutrition Department, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute (WHO Collaborating Center), Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Email: b_rashidkhani@sbmu.ac.ir; rashidkhani@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Bahram
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rashidkhani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D038441:Diet, Mediterranean / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012306:Risk; D055815:Young Adult