Before processed and fast foods drifted to shore, folks who lived in the Mediterranean (specifically Crete, Greece and southern Italy) ate a diet exclusively from their own region. Their menu included locally grown fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, mostly seafood, olive oil and a glass or two a day of red wine. The result? They had the lowest rate of chronic disease and the longest life expectancy in the world. Now it appears folks with multiple sclerosis may also get a boost to their health from following the same kind of Mediterranean fare.

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If you have multiple sclerosis, the autoimmune system kicks into high alert and damages the myelin sheath that surrounds neurons in the central nervous system. This overreaction creates permanent lesions (scars) that ambush communication between neurons in the brain and spinal cord, creating problems in other parts of the body, such as vision issues, imbalance, extreme fatigue, hyper-sensitivity to heat and cognitive difficulties often referred to as “brain fog.” That’s where the Mediterranean diet steps in.

A large study of 966 people called the Northern Manhattan Study, published in 2012 in the Archives of Neurology, looked at brain lesions as they appeared on MRIs and found that subjects who followed the Mediterranean diet reduced the number of their brain lesions and also had improved cognition. Although the subjects in the study didn’t have multiple sclerosis, they were all over 55 years old, and brain lesions are not only a result of MS but also a common consequence of aging.

But it’s not a slam-dunk. “We don’t want to give MS patients false hope by promising that the Mediterranean diet is going to work miracles on their cognitive issues and other symptoms,” cautions Dr. Aaron Boster, a neurologist with Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. “What we can say with more assurance is that following this kind of diet offers cardiovascular benefits including controlling high blood pressure, as well as helping to prevent non-cardiac conditions such as diabetes and obesity. That’s especially important for MS patients because those diseases can cause the symptoms of MS to run faster, with more frequent and severe relapses.”

Getting a jump on these conditions for MS sufferers is especially important for other reasons. “The bottom line is that a patient diagnosed with MS today is expected to have a normal or almost normal life span,” explains Dr. Marwa Kaisey, neurologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. “It means the Mediterranean diet can help them reach that goal because the number one reason lives are cut short in the United States is cardiac incidents such as heart attack and stroke.”

[See: U.S. News’ 38 Best Diets Overall.]

There’s further evidence the Mediterranean diet can add years to life. A roundup of studies published in May 2017 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that the closer people follow a Mediterranean diet, the less likely they are to have other serious illnesses, including neurodegenerative diseases (ones that do damage to the nervous system, especially the neurons in the brain). Some medical experts argue that MS is not primarily an autoimmune disease but rather a result of a neurodegenerative process that triggers inflammatory reactions.

Olive oil, a fundamental ingredient in the Mediterranean diet, seems to fight inflammation. But it has to be extra virgin olive oil, which is the only kind of olive oil that keeps its natural phenols (antioxidants). According to the American Institute of Cancer Research, other types of olive oils labeled “virgin,” “pure” or “light” are industrially refined, and in the process, their anti-inflammatory agents are destroyed. If MS is an inflammatory condition, foods that cause inflammation — such as processed foods and trans fats — may increase the incidence or severity of symptoms. Olive oil appears to have the opposite effect by offering strong anti-inflammatory power. In an April 2017 study appearing in the journal Neurology, it was reported when laboratory rats exhibiting MS symptoms were given EVOO supplementation, their condition improved.

Even more impressive, and arguably one of the most pleasant aspects of the Mediterranean diet, is red wine. According to a study in the April 2016 issue of Molecular Neurobiology, imbibing it may help restore the myelin sheath damaged by inflammation. But before you go toasting to its success, so far the study reports the evidence only shows up in the laboratory, on mice, while administering the active compound of red wine called “resveratrol” — not drinking a glass of Chianti.

[See: 5 Rare Diseases You’ve Never Heard of (Until Now).]

But what good is any diet if you aren’t going to follow it? That’s another way Mediterranean fare scores points. Research appearing in the October 2016 PlosOne journal followed 337 patients with multiple sclerosis and 136 healthy subjects, and reported the patients with MS were more likely to follow a Mediterranean diet than any other dietary plan — 29.7 percent versus 14 percent.

“When meals aren’t enjoyable, folks just won’t eat them. That’s why if a patient asks for a nutritional plan, I suggest the Mediterranean diet,” Kaisey says. “It’s not only well-rounded and full of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and red wine in moderation — it’s also delicious!”

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What Role Could the Mediterranean Diet Have in Countering MS? originally appeared on usnews.com