The study, led by Patrizia Casaccia, founding director of the Advanced Science Research Centre at the CUNY Graduate Center's (CUNY ASRC) Neuroscience Initiative and Einstein Professor of Biology and Biochemistry at the CUNY Graduate Centre, investigated how enzymes known as ceramide synthase 5 and 6 are responsible for the toxic effect of a palm oil-rich diet on neurones in the central nervous system, which leads to an increase in the severity of MS symptoms. What is Multiple Sclerosis? MS is an inflammatory autoimmune disease marked by extensive damage to the insulating myelin sheath that protects nerves throughout the body. Current treatments focus on controlling the immune system's response, but the precise mechanisms contributing to neurodegeneration in MS remain poorly understood.
Previous work from the Casaccia lab and others had reported on the toxic effect of a high-fat diet on the severity of MS symptoms. In their study, researchers explored potential mechanisms by which a diet rich in palm oil may hijack neuronal health. ALSO READ: Important dietary choices to reduce risk of multiple sclerosis; doctor shares tips Impact of palm oil-rich diet on neurons: Using the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) model of inflammatory demyelination, the research team found that diets high in palm oil led to a more severe disease course in mice.
"We reasoned that inside neuronal cells, palm oil is converted into a toxic substance called C16 ceramide by specific enzymes .
