Does MS cause weight gain?

It's also common for people with MS to gain weight due to their symptoms. It's important to try and reach a moderate weight and maintain it. Being overweight or underweight can worsen MS symptoms. Read on to learn how to maintain a moderate weight with MS.

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Why does MS make you gain weight?

MS fatigue, steroid therapy, and depression can all lead to unwanted weight in people with MS. Though these factors are not your fault, you owe it to yourself to take control of your weight. Overeating can increase MS symptoms or health conditions, such as: fatigue.

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Does MS make it hard to lose weight?

Living with MS can sometimes make it harder to manage your weight, and both weight loss and weight gain can be a problem.

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Do people with MS tend to be overweight?

In MS, obesity has been linked to increased relapses and disease progression. In a newly published study, although most of the people with MS studied were overweight or obese, only 10% of 470 people with MS and 11% of 519 controls without MS adopted a specific diet to lose weight.

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Does MS make you puffy?

In multiple sclerosis (MS) or other conditions that limit mobility, it most commonly manifests as swollen feet and ankles, and occurs because the lymphatic system does not receive help from the muscle movements that normally enable the lymphatic fluid to flow properly.

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Could diet help slow symptoms of multiple sclerosis?

15 related questions found

What is the number one symptom of MS?

Vision Problems

The first symptom of MS for many people. Optic neuritis, neuromyelitis optica, blurred vision, poor contrast or color vision, and pain on eye movement can be frightening — and should be evaluated promptly.

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What part of the body does MS affect the most?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system). In MS , the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body.

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Does MS affect metabolism?

Systemic lipid metabolism is disturbed in people with MS, and lipid metabolic pathways are crucial to the protective process of remyelination.

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How fast does MS progress?

Most symptoms develop abruptly, within hours or days. These attacks or relapses of MS typically reach their peak within a few days at most and then resolve slowly over the next several days or weeks so that a typical relapse will be symptomatic for about eight weeks from onset to recovery.

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Does MS cause weight fluctuation?

Weight changes are common with multiple sclerosis (MS). The number on your scale might go up or down, depending on things like fatigue, depression, or medicine you take. But there are tips to try that can help keep your weight on an even keel.

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What are symptoms of MS getting worse?

7 Signs Your Multiple Sclerosis Is Progressing
  • There's less time between MS flare-ups. ...
  • You're always exhausted. ...
  • You feel more weakness and stiffness. ...
  • You have trouble walking. ...
  • You're experiencing “bathroom problems.” ...
  • You're struggling with “brain fog” and mood changes. ...
  • Your current treatment seems less effective.

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Do you retain water with MS?

Research summary. People who have MS sometimes have swollen legs. This leg swelling can occur for a number of reasons, particularly if it has become difficult to walk. In these circumstances, excess water may build up in the tissues and cause the legs to become swollen.

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Does MS affect your appetite?

They are marked by a lack of interest in social activities, a loss of appetite, fatigue, sleep disturbances, agitation, and suicidal thoughts.

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Why can't I lose weight with MS?

Symptoms such as fatigue, spasticity, depression, and anxiety often intertwine to contribute to weight gain. People who are tired or can't move easily may become more sedentary and may consume more calories than they burn off, says Costello.

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Why do healthy people get MS?

Multiple sclerosis is caused by your immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and nerves. It's not clear why this happens but it may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

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Is MS always terminal?

MS itself is rarely fatal, but complications may arise from severe MS, such as chest or bladder infections, or swallowing difficulties. The average life expectancy for people with MS is around 5 to 10 years lower than average, and this gap appears to be getting smaller all the time.

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How common is MS in Australia?

Over 25,600 people in Australia are living with multiple sclerosis, including 3,700 Queenslanders, and it affects each person differently. On average more than 10 Australians are diagnosed with MS every week.

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What is the average age of death for someone with MS?

The study found that people with MS lived to be 75.9 years old, on average, compared to 83.4 years old for those without. That 7.5-year difference is similar to what other researchers have found recently.

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When should you suspect multiple sclerosis?

People should consider the diagnosis of MS if they have one or more of these symptoms: vision loss in one or both eyes. acute paralysis in the legs or along one side of the body. acute numbness and tingling in a limb.

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Does MS mess with your stomach?

Nearly two-thirds of MS patients have at least one GI symptom that persists for 6 months or more. Some of the most common problems are: 1) Dysphagia, 2) Heartburn, 3) Nausea, 4) Dyspepsia, 5) Diarrhea, 6) Constipation, and 7) Fecal Incontinence.

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Does MS mess with your hormones?

Testosterone. Some studies have suggested that men with MS may have low levels of testosterone. A study in the US of 96 men with relapsing remitting MS, found that over a third had a condition called hypogonadism, where the body doesn't produce enough testosterone.

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Why does MS make you so tired?

Primary fatigue is caused by MS damage in the brain and spinal cord. And lots of processes might be involved. One idea from researchers is that passing messages around nerve damage takes extra energy. Secondary fatigue is caused by living with MS symptoms like pain, or disturbed sleep.

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How does MS usually start?

Here's where MS (typically) starts

Although a number of MS symptoms can appear early on, two stand out as occurring more often than others: Optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve, is usually the most common, Shoemaker says. You may experience eye pain, blurred vision and headache.

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Does MS show up in blood tests?

While there is no definitive blood test for MS, blood tests can rule out other conditions that cause symptoms similar to those of MS, including lupus erythematosis, Sjogren's, vitamin and mineral deficiencies, some infections, and rare hereditary diseases.

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What organs are affected by multiple sclerosis?

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).

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