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Functional Outcomes From Diets in Multiple Sclerosis

The Impact of Diet Quality and Calorie Restriction on Physical Function and Patient Reported Outcomes in Multiple Sclerosis

Status
Active, not recruiting
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05327322
Acronym
FOOD_for_MS
Enrollment
100
Registered
2022-04-14
Start date
2023-03-20
Completion date
2026-11-01
Last updated
2026-04-03

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Relapsing Remitting Multiple Sclerosis, Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Brief summary

The purpose of this study is to test the effects of two dietary interventions, glycemic load and calorie restriction, on physical function, cognition, pain, fatigue, mood, and anxiety in adults with multiple sclerosis (MS). The investigators will also explore the how the diet interventions impact inflammation, immunity, and metabolic biomarkers.

Detailed description

100 participants will be randomized 1:1 to follow either a low glycemic load (GL) or standard GL diet for 32 weeks. For the first 16 weeks, all participants will eat enough calories to maintain their baseline weight. During the second 16 weeks, all participants will reduce calorie intake by 500kcal/day, with a goal of losing 5-10% of initial body weight. Participants will complete data collection at baseline (prior to randomization), at 17 weeks (after the weight stable phase) and again after completing the calorie restriction phase. All participants will receive meal plans and groceries for the duration of the trial.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALGlycemic load

Participants will be provided food to meet GL prescription for the duration of the trial.

BEHAVIORALCalorie restriction

Participants will be provided food to meet their prescribed daily calorie intake for the duration of the trial (weight stable in first 16 weeks, weight loss in second 16 weeks).

All participants will receive behavioral supports in the form of email, text, information pages and weekly calls from the study staff to maximize adherence.

Sponsors

University of Alabama at Birmingham
Lead SponsorOTHER
Washington University School of Medicine
CollaboratorOTHER
United States Department of Defense
CollaboratorFED

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE (Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

All staff collecting outcomes data will be randomized to treatment group (low GL vs standard GL).

Intervention model description

Participants will be randomized to follow either a low GL or standard GL diet for 32 weeks. For the first 16 weeks, both groups will eat enough calories to maintain baseline weight. During the second 16 weeks, both groups will reduce calorie intake by 500 kcal/day,

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Diagnosed with RRMS or SPMS * BMI 25-50 kg/m2 (overweight/obese) * EDSS ≤6.5 (able to walk 100m with or without assistance) * If on disease-modifying treatment (DMT), stable for 6 months * If not on DMT, no DMT in previous 6 months * No expected change to DMT in next 34 weeks * Responsible for food preparation or have input into food preparation

Exclusion criteria

* MS relapse in previous 30 days * Unable to walk 25 feet with or without assistive device * Pregnant or breastfeeding * Current use of insulin or sulfonylurea agents * Score indicating low cognitive functioning on the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status (TICS-m) assessment * Actively engaged in a weight loss program or unwilling to follow assigned dietary pattern * Unable to receive, store, or prepare food according to diet plan * Medical contraindication to either treatment or control diet (including severe allergies that cannot be accommodated within either group)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC)BaselineThe MSFC includes a timed T25FW, 9-hole peg test (9HPT), and the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS)BaselineThe BICAMS includes the Single Digit Modalities Test, California Verbal Learning Test, and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test
Patient reported outcomes: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)BaselineThe HADS contains 14 items that measure the frequency of anxiety and depressive symptoms over the past week. The anxiety questions are scaled 0-3 with 0 representing higher anxiety to 3 representing no anxiety. The depression questions are scaled from 0 indicating no depression to 3 indicating more signs of depression.
Patient reported outcomes: Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS)BaselineThe MFIS is a 21-item measure of physical, cognitive, and psychosocial impact of fatigue on daily life over the past 4 weeks. The scale ranges from 0 to 4 with 0 being never have issues regarding fatigue to 4 representing fatigue greatly affecting the participants life.
Patient reported outcomes: Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)BaselineThe FSS is a 9-item unidimensional measure of fatigue and its disabling consequences over the past week in medical populations including MS. The score is from 1 to 7 with 1 representing strongly disagreeing that fatigue has an impact on them to 7 representing strongly agreeing fatigue has an impact on the participants.
Patient reported outcomes: Visual Analog Fatigue Scale (VAFS)BaselineThe participants will be asked to rate their global fatigue on a scale of 0-10 with 0 being the worst fatigued and 10 being normal.
Patient reported outcomes: Short-form McGill Pain Questionnaire Revised (SF-MPQ-2)BaselineThe SF-MPQ has a 15-item adjective checklist that captures sensory and affective dimensions of pain experienced over the past week. Questions are scored from 0-10. Zero representing no pain and 10 representing the highest pain level.
Patient reported outcomes: Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)BaselineThe questionnaire has fill in the blank questions along with questions that are rated on a scale. The scale rating is "not during the past month" to "three or more times per week."

Countries

United States

Contacts

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATORBrooks Wingo, PhD

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Apr 4, 2026