SC06
The Effects of Anti-Oxidant Supplements on Progression of MS: A Systematic Review of Human and Animal Studies for Clinicians and Patients
Naturally occurring compounds that have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, found in over-the-counter supplements and certain plants and foods are becoming of interest to researchers, clinicians and patients as a treatment for MS. We undertook this study as part of the MS Society of Canada endMS Research and Training Network to review potentially important findings in studies involving patients and animal models of MS in order to develop evidence-based clinician and patient information.
Objectives:
To develop an easy-to-read evidence-based informational pamphlet describing antioxidant dietary interventions in the treatment of MS disease progression for patients and clinicians.
Methods:
With the assistance of a librarian with experience in systematic reviews, and using predefined search criteria, we searched PubMed, CINAHL, PsychInfo, the Cochrane Library, and the Central Register of Controlled Clinical Trials, including all years up to October 30 2013 (English language only). Reference lists of included articles were hand-searched and all titles were scrutinized by two authors against inclusion/exclusion criteria. Clinical studies were included if the participants had MS or the biological products tested were from people with MS. Animal studies were included if a disease, similar to MS was induced in animals and included behavioral or relevant histological findings, such as remyelination. In order to synthesize findings, we required a minimum of 3 studies testing a specific compound of interest. Findings were assessed for risk-of-bias using published tools; data was synthesized, written in plain language format and pre-tested among people with MS.
Results:
3507 titles were retrieved examining the effects of naturally-occurring compounds in MS patients and in models of MS. 965 abstracts were reviewed and the findings of 145 manuscripts analysed. Final compounds for which data was synthesized included α-lipoic acid, antioxidant vitamins, gingko biloba, quercetin, resveratrol and epigallocatechin-3-gallate. Specific results and final clinician/patient information for each compound will be discussed.
Conclusions:
Although researchers stress the need for knowledge translation (especially to patients), most systematic reviews are designed for the other scientists. We used the systematic review methodology to successfully develop easy-to-understand yet scientifically sound information for patients and clinicians in the popular field of anti-oxidant supplements.