Gut microbiota in multiple sclerosis and animal models.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic central nervous system (CNS) neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory disease marked by a host immune reaction that targets and destroys the neuronal myelin sheath. MS and correlating animal disease models show comorbidities, including intestinal barrier disruption and alterations of the commensal microbiome. It is accepted that diet plays a crucial role in shaping the microbiota composition and overall gastrointestinal (GI) tract health, suggesting an interplay between nutrition and neuroinflammation via the gut-brain axis.

Gut microbiome-modulated dietary strategies in EAE and multiple sclerosis.

Over the last few decades, the incidence of multiple sclerosis has increased as society's dietary habits have switched from a whole foods approach to a high fat, high salt, low dietary fiber, and processed food diet, termed the "Western diet." Environmental factors, such as diet, could play a role in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis due to gut microbiota alterations, gut barrier leakage, and subsequent intestinal inflammation that could lead to exacerbated neuroinflammation. This mini-review explores the gut microbiome alterations of various dietary strategies that improve upon the "Western diet" as promising alternatives and targets to current multiple sclerosis treatments.