The remarkable link between MS and your stomach: As cases of multiple sclerosis surge, a breakthrough study reveals surprising new trigger of incurable illness – and simple steps you can take to reduce risks
It’s a seemingly remarkable claim about the root cause of multiple sclerosis – a devastating incurable illness that continues to baffle scientists.
Last month, US alternative medicine doctor Jessica Peatross boldly declared that ‘the bacteria that triggers MS has been found’. Her post was shared thousands of times, sparking a huge online debate.
For the millions of people affected by the disease, the implications were potentially enormous.
MS affects more than 150,000 people in the UK and around three million worldwide, causing loss of sight and balance, crippling fatigue, problems walking and, in severe cases, paralysis. Crucially, there is no cure, few effective treatments – and it’s on the rise.
Between 2000 and 2020, the number of multiple sclerosis patients in the UK doubled, rising from fewer than 100,000 to 190,000.
Every year, the number of UK patients living with the condition, also known as MS, rises by around six per cent, according to research.
Doctors are also increasingly concerned that more younger people are being diagnosed.
Many who reacted to Dr Peatross’s post were delighted that scientists had apparently finally begun to unravel one of the great mysteries surrounding the disease.
Between 2000 and 2020, the number of MS patients in the UK doubled – and younger people are increasingly affected. Pictured, Becky Lee, who began experiencing symptoms aged just 21
Others were far more sceptical – challenging her credentials and questioning the evidence behind such an extraordinary claim.
Yet the Daily Mail can reveal there is serious science behind it.
Her claim is based on rigorous academic research suggesting that while MS attacks the brain and spinal cord, events that help set the disease in motion may begin somewhere entirely different: the gut.
Researchers at Germany’s prestigious Max Planck Institute have identified two specific species of gut bacteria that appear capable of helping trigger the immune response involved in MS.
Experts caution that this does not mean scientists have discovered a single ’cause’ of the disease. MS is thought to arise from a complex interplay of genetic, immune and environmental factors, with obesity and infection with the Epstein-Barr virus among those linked to increased risk.
But they have told Mail+ that the ‘fascinating’ findings could provide an important new piece of the puzzle – and potentially open the door to new ways of predicting, preventing or treating the disease.
They say there’s growing evidence linking stomach bacteria to the development of the disease.
And while it’s too early to provide advice about tackling particular bugs, there are simple steps people can take to boost their gut health and reduce the likelihood of MS – such as dumping ultra-processed foods in favour of a varied diet full of fibre, fresh fruit and vegetables.
Ruth Dobson, Professor of Clinical Neurology at the QMUL Centre For Preventive Neurology, says: ‘MS isn’t the result of one single thing; there are lots of factors working together.
‘But this fascinating study illustrates that bacteria in the gut may be playing some part in triggering the cascade of events that eventually lead to the disease.
‘The dream is that – in the future – we may be able to screen for specific bacteria to identify people who might be at increased risk. It’s still a long way off, but there may even be a way of targeting those bacteria to stop people from getting MS.’
And while she says there’s no evidence to support rushing out to buy probiotic drinks and yoghurts, which are marketed as being full of beneficial bacteria, people can still benefit from dietary changes.
She recommends avoiding foods which are full of refined sugars and chemical additives, such as soft drinks and sugary juices, mass-produced breads and pastries, instant noodles, ready-made frozen meals and reconstituted meats like hot dogs and chicken nuggets.
She says: ‘We increasingly understand that these ultra-processed foods are bad for our brains and our immune system and are linked to immune diseases.
‘One of the key steps is to have a mixed healthy diet with lots of fresh fruit and veg. We also know that being obese in adolescence doubles the risk of MS in later life. So we need to make sure we’re looking after our children’s diets as well as our own.’
Around 7,000 new cases of MS are diagnosed in Britain every year – with women around two and half times more likely to be affected than men.
The UK has one of the highest rates of MS, although Canada tops the list with 291 cases per 100,000 people
They say there’s growing evidence linking stomach bacteria to the development of multiple sclerosis, throwing open the doors for new tests and treatment
In patients with MS, a fatty substance called myelin which coats and protects the nerve fibres is damaged when the immune system – which normally helps the body fight off infections – mistakenly attacks the cells.
Depending on which nerves are harmed, symptoms can vary widely – but can include extreme tiredness, blurred vision, problems with movement, and also disturbances in memory, thought processes and emotions.
In a paper recently published in the prestigious US journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, academics from the Max Planck Institute in Germany studied sets of twins – where one twin had MS and the other didn’t.
Using twins who had been raised together allowed the researchers to discount genetic or environmental factors.
After studying bacteria in stool samples and in the small intestine, they identified two bugs which were only found in the stomachs of the twins with MS.
When these bacteria were fed to specially bred mice, the animals were far more likely to develop MS-like symptoms.
The researchers concluded: ‘We developed a strategy to identify gut bacteria functionally linked to the development of multiple sclerosis.
‘Our results implicate Eisenbergiella tayi and Lachnoclostridium as likely responsible for an increased incidence of disease.’
‘I thought it was just indigestion’: The subtle signs of MS that Becky ignored
Becky Lee was just 21 when she began suffering dizzy spells, muscle spasms and weakness down her left side.
She also experienced a strange sensation that her vision was ‘shaking or vibrating’ – but eye tests found nothing wrong.
The Bristol project manager repeatedly explained away the symptoms, blaming everything from indigestion to vitamin deficiencies.
In 2015, doctors diagnosed her with clinically isolated syndrome, which can precede MS. But frightened about what doctors might find, she later declined an MRI scan.
Her symptoms worsened and, in 2023, Becky was finally diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS.
Now 32, she says: ‘Looking back, these were early warning signs. I didn’t realise they were connected.’
The results have sparked huge interest – and optimism – around the world, with thousands of online comments such as ‘This could lead to a wonderful treatment for an awful disease’.
The study is part of a growing body of research highlighting the crucial role of the gut in human health.
Although it was formerly dismissed as simply a system for digesting food, scientists are increasingly exploring the influence of the gut’s microbiome – the collection of trillions of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other single-celled organisms that live in the digestive tract.
Prof Dobson, who works alongside the MS Society charity, says: ‘The immune system plays a key role in MS. And it’s particularly active in the gut, as that’s where lots of bacteria enter the body.
‘Our bodies have an immune response to these bugs, even ones that may not be making us ill.’
She adds: ‘The theory of how bugs might cause MS is based on the fact that some of the bits of the bugs look similar to bits of our brain.
‘And when our immune system reacts against the bugs, it also sets up an immune response against the parts of our brain cells that are important in the development of MS.
‘Essentially the immune system thinks its attacking the bugs but is actually attacking the myeline on the nerve fibres.’
Yet, the professor explains, the bacteria identified in the study are not the only culprits for causing MS.
Other known risk factors for developing the disease include smoking, obesity and lack of vitamin D. Another is infection with the Epstein-Barr virus, a common type of herpes virus that spreads mainly through saliva and infects over 90 per cent of adults worldwide – often without symptoms.
Prof Dobson says: ‘It’s not that there is one definitive cause of MS and nothing else matters. We need to recognise it’s all part of the jigsaw. MS is a complex disease and there are reasons people get it are also complex.’
The new study, she believes, will benefit patients in several ways.
She says: ‘People living with MS want to know why it’s happened to them. The psychology of explanation means it is important for people to understand why they developed the disease.
‘Meanwhile, MS is a condition that we can’t currently prevent or cure. Being able to establish why some people get it might allow us to identify them earlier or even prevent them from getting the disease in the first place. Anything that advances us on that journey is a very good thing.’
