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Correlation between milk and dairy product consumption and multiple sclerosis prevalence: a worldwide study
1Laboratoire de Virologie, Faculté de Médecine, CHRU, Grenoble, France.
Neuroepidemiology
|January 1, 1992
Summary
This study found a significant correlation between liquid cow milk consumption and multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence globally. These findings suggest dairy, particularly unprocessed milk, may influence MS clinical appearance.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Nutrition Science
- Neurology
Background:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS) etiology is multifactorial, with environmental and dietary factors under investigation.
- Previous research has theoretically considered alimentary cofactors in MS, but empirical data is limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the global relationship between dairy product consumption and multiple sclerosis prevalence.
- To identify specific dairy products potentially associated with MS epidemiology.
Main Methods:
- Cross-national study analyzing dairy consumption data from 27 countries and 29 populations.
- Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to assess associations between MS prevalence and intake of liquid milk, cream, butter, and cheese.
Main Results:
- A strong, highly significant positive correlation was observed between liquid cow milk consumption and MS prevalence (rho = 0.836, p < 0.001).
- Significant, though weaker, positive correlations were found for cream (rho = 0.619) and butter (rho = 0.504) consumption.
- No significant correlation was detected between MS prevalence and cheese consumption.
Conclusions:
- Liquid cow milk may contain factors influencing the clinical expression of multiple sclerosis, potentially lost during processing.
- The findings support a multifactorial etiology for MS, with dairy by-products warranting further investigation.
