Mediterranean-style eating and aging in people with multiple sclerosis
Official title: Mediterranean Diet, Biological Aging, and Risk for Disease and Disability Progression in Multiple Sclerosis
Funded at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai · NIH-11492803 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether following a Mediterranean-style diet is linked to slower biological aging and less brain shrinkage in people living with multiple sclerosis.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (New York, United States) |
| Project start | December 1, 2023 |
| Project end | November 30, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $16,955 |
| NIH project number | 3R01NS135228-03S1 |
| Project ID | NIH-11492803 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Adults living with multiple sclerosis—particularly those early in their disease who can provide diet information and blood samples—would be the best fit for this work.
✕Less likely to help
People without MS or those with very advanced, fixed disability are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this specific research.
What this research studies
This project uses existing clinical, brain imaging, dietary, and blood sample data from people with MS to explore links between diet, biological aging, and disease progression. Researchers will measure biological aging using a population-based biological aging index and leukocyte telomere length from blood samples. They will compare these aging measures with Mediterranean-diet patterns and with changes in brain volume and disability over time. The goal is to see if slower biological aging helps explain why a Mediterranean-style diet appears tied to better brain and functional outcomes in MS.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If confirmed, this could point to a low-risk, diet-based way to slow brain aging and disability progression in people with MS.
How similar studies have gone: Previous studies have linked Mediterranean diets to less brain atrophy and better function, and other work ties diet to biological aging in non-MS groups, but using aging measures to explain diet effects in MS is a newer approach.
Where this research is happening
-
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
New York, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Katz Sand, Ilana Beth — Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Study coordinator: Katz Sand, Ilana Beth
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Mediterranean diet, biological aging, and multiple sclerosis progression
This project looks at whether a Mediterranean-style diet links to slower biological aging and less brain shrinkage in people living with multiple sclerosis.
-
How the Mediterranean diet affects aging and disease progression in multiple sclerosis
This study is looking at how following the Mediterranean diet might help slow down aging and improve brain health for people with multiple sclerosis (MS), by checking if their eating habits can make a difference in their overall health and how their condition progresses.
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Low-Load BFR Training to Help People with Advanced MS Improve Strength
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.