Oklahoma research foundation looks to explain increased risk of MS in women

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on biomedical research. (Photo by Emma Murphy/Oklahoma Voice)

Obesity during female adolescence could lead to increased risk of multiple sclerosis, or MS, later in life according to a study from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation.

The study, funded by grants from the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases and the National Eye Institute, sought to explain why obesity seems to create increased risk for some females to develop MS. It found elevated levels of inflammation in obese females, but not in obese males.

“Previous studies had established that obesity during female adolescence creates a greater risk of developing MS later,” said Bob Axtell, scientist at the foundation. “But those studies have shown that this was only true for females. The same connection doesn’t seem to be there for males.”

MS is an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, potentially disabling the brain and spinal cord. The disease affects about 1 million Americans and an estimated 2.3 million worldwide, according to the National MS Society.

Today, females account for around 80% of new MS cases, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. This gender gap was nearly negligible 40 years ago.

Gabriel Pardo, who leads the foundation’s MS Center of Excellence, said the study is an important step in understanding MS before it begins affecting people.

“We need to better understand the molecular underpinnings of this disease so that we can mitigate those factors before the onset of MS,” he said. “But this study also provides a cautionary example pointing to another danger of obesity.”

The Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation is a non-profit organization focused on biomedical research.

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