Mediterranean-style eating and aging in people with multiple sclerosis
Mediterranean Diet, Biological Aging, and Risk for Disease and Disability Progression in Multiple Sclerosis
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 ID | NIH-11492803 on NIH RePORTER |
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.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: 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.
Not a fit: People without MS or those with very advanced, fixed disability are unlikely to gain direct benefit from this specific research.
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 performed: 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
New York, United States
- 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
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 below.