Natural Intestinal Flora may be Involved in the Emergence of Multiple Sclerosis

Recently, the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology and their scientists have discovered a new finding in relation to Multiple Sclerosis. In the past, it has been found that there are external and genetic factors that influence MS to occur. However, researchers have recently realized that it is probably not environmental factors (bacteria) that cause MS, but rather good bacteria, specifically intestinal flora, that is important for functional digestion within the body. This finding was first observed in mice that were genetically altered: these mice developed brain inflammations like what a human with MS would normally encounter, if they had a normal amount of intestinal bacteria within their GI tract. We have noticed that intestinal bacteria in humans have potential to cause autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease. Therefore, it is not too surprising that MS can be triggered by the same bacteria. How these microorganisms do so is by activating our immune system's T cells and even B cells to they form antibodies that causes the brain to become inflamed, thus slowly destroying our myelin, which is an important characteristic of MS patients. The link below further explains how it is broken down.

The inspiration behind this article was the fact that it caught my eye due to our previous SNBAL article about MS and how it affects those who have it. It is obvious that scientists are discovering important things like this every day to improve our accuracy and efficiency in dealing with such dangerous diseases like MS.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027112520.htm