Riccio, Paolo, Rossano, Rocco · ASN neuro · 2015 · DOI
This review article examines how diet and exercise may influence multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms by affecting inflammation in the body. Western-style diets high in salt, sugar, and processed foods can increase inflammation and harm gut bacteria, while healthier diets rich in vegetables, fruits, and fish—combined with regular exercise—may reduce inflammation and support beneficial gut bacteria. The authors suggest that better nutrition might help reduce side effects from MS medications and improve chronic fatigue symptoms.
While this review focuses on MS rather than ME/CFS, it is relevant because both conditions involve chronic inflammation and fatigue. Understanding how diet and exercise modulate inflammatory pathways and gut microbiota composition may inform nutritional approaches for ME/CFS patients, who similarly experience post-exertional malaise and often struggle with chronic fatigue.
This review does not provide direct evidence from randomized controlled trials testing dietary interventions in MS or ME/CFS patients. The study does not establish causation—only that dietary factors are associated with inflammatory markers. The applicability of MS findings to ME/CFS remains unclear, as these are distinct diseases with different pathophysiology.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
The first block is for the primary paper and is the citation you should use in research work. The atlas-snapshot line only applies if you are specifically referring to this atlas’s reading of the paper on the date shown.
Primary citation
Riccio, Paolo & Rossano, Rocco (2015). Nutrition facts in multiple sclerosis.. ASN neuro. https://doi.org/10.1177/1759091414568185
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-riccio-2015-nutrition-facts,
author = {Riccio, Paolo and Rossano, Rocco},
title = {Nutrition facts in multiple sclerosis.},
journal = {ASN neuro},
year = {2015},
doi = {10.1177/1759091414568185},
note = {PubMed: 25694551},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/riccio-2015-nutrition-facts},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-29. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/riccio-2015-nutrition-facts
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