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Updated: May 25, 2026

Modeling Multiple Sclerosis in the Two Sexes: MOG35-55-Induced Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis
Published on: October 13, 2023
High body mass index before age 20 is associated with increased risk for multiple sclerosis in both men and women
Anna K Hedström1, Tomas Olsson, Lars Alfredsson
1Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. anna.hedstrom@ki.se
Abstract:
In a Swedish population-based case-control study (1571 cases, 3371 controls), subjects with different body mass indices (BMIs) were compared regarding multiple sclerosis (MS) risk, by calculating odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Subjects whose BMI exceeded 27 kg/m(2) at age 20 had a two-fold increased risk of developing MS compared with normal weight subjects. Speculatively, the obesity epidemic may explain part of the increasing MS incidence as recorded in some countries. Measures taken against adolescent obesity may thus be a preventive strategy against MS.
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