Exercise and fitness 'contributes to wellness' in those with MS

Exercise and a fitness regime could help protect the brains of people with multiple sclerosis, according to a new study from the US.

Ruchika Shaurya Prakash, lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychology at Ohio State University, explained that MRI scans of the patients showed that fitter patients with MS showed less damage in areas of the brain known for deterioration as a result of MS.

There was also a greater volume of "vital gray matter", the report continued.

Dr Prakash continued: "We found that aerobic fitness has a protective effect on parts of the brain that are most affected by multiple sclerosis.

"As a result, these fitter patients actually show better performance on tasks that measure processing speed."

It was added that physically fit MS patients had fewer lesions than those who were not as fit, while the lesions were also smaller.

Women with MS are more likely to have migraines than those without the disease, according to recent research from New York University Medical School.

Read about Barchester expertise in offering multiple sclerosis support.