Photo Credit: Nathan Devery

A remote lifestyle intervention program emphasizing diet and exercise improved function and quality of life in patients with early MS.

“Various diet and exercise protocols have been reported to improve symptoms and function in people with MS,” Prabha Siddarth, PhD, and colleagues wrote. “Evidence is accumulating that interventions as early as possible in the disease course are warranted. The study investigated the effect of a remotely delivered lifestyle program focusing on specific diet and exercise recommendations in people with early MS.”

Dr. Siddarth and colleagues conducted a retrospective study to investigate the impact of a remotely supervised lifestyle program emphasizing specific diet and exercise recommendations in patients with early MS. MS diagnosis no more than 2 years before the study started, serving as enrollment criteria.

Participants received six remote health coaching sessions over 12 weeks. Sessions covered a Mediterranean-type diet and personalized exercise plans, including duration, intensity, and type, such as aerobics, resistance, neuromotor/coordination, and flexibility.

Outcome measures included QOL; cognition, measured with the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT); fatigue, measured with the MS Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS); fitness as estimated with Metabolic Equivalents (METS); and other objective and patient-reported outcomes. Changes were analyzed using mixed-effects general linear models and standardized pre-post differences.

Improvements Seen in QOL, Cognition, & Adherence

The researchers enrolled 15 patients (average age at baseline, 35.2; mean EDSS, 1.1). Almost all enrolled patients (n=14) completed the study.

Dr. Siddarth and colleagues reported significant improvements in overall QOL (P=0.02) and cognitive performance (per the SDMT; P=0.006), the cognitive portion of the Timed Up and Go Test (P=0.01), and the cognitive subscale of the MSQOL-29 (P=0.03). Further, significant improvements were seen in the total MFIS score (P=0.005) and the cognitive subscale (P=0.005).

Participants displayed improved adherence to the Mediterranean diet (P=0.002) and fitness (per METS; P=0.04). The researchers observed an increase in physical activity by the end of the intervention compared with baseline, though this difference was not significant.

Overall, patient satisfaction was high, with feedback indicating that the recommendations were easy to follow. Participants reported high confidence levels in knowledge about MS and were less anxious about disease management.

The findings “suggest that remotely delivered lifestyle coaching improves [QOL] and cognition in newly diagnosed MS in patients,” Dr. Siddarth and colleagues wrote. “This adds to the existing literature that it is feasible to implement lifestyle coaching to people with MS via telehealth modalities, which has also been reported for other populations with early-stage memory loss.”