Multiple sclerosis is sometimes considered an autoimmune disease, in the pathogenesis of which an inflammatory process in the patient's body may play a role. To date, it remains unclear why some people develop the disease - one hypothesis put forward by researchers is that multiple sclerosis could be fostered by a variety of factors that promote inflammation.

Both overweight and obesity have for years been associated with being a major threat to human health. It has been cited that they increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and even cancer, but according to Canadian researchers, excessive body weight may also be relevant to multiple sclerosis.

Among other things, the Canadian researchers noted in their analysis that a change in body weight from overweight to obesity could have a major impact on the risk of multiple sclerosis, with the risk increasing by up to 40 per cent. It is currently unclear why body weight would have such an impact on the risk of the disease, possibly due to inflammatory processes developing in the bodies of obese people.

While some risk factors for multiple sclerosis simply cannot be influenced (such as genetic predisposition), patients do have an impact on their body weight. The findings described by the Canadians can ultimately be seen as a further argument that it is definitely worth taking action to reduce excess body weight.