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Breakthrough for multiple sclerosis sufferers may involve helpful hormone: ‘Patients should remain optimistic’

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Breakthrough for multiple sclerosis sufferers may involve helpful hormone: ‘Patients should remain optimistic’

A hormone released during pregnancy could help reverse damage in the cortex of the brain caused by multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study led by UCLA has found.

In people with MS, a potentially disabling autoimmune disease, immune cells attack and damage a protective coating called myelin, which surrounds nerves in the brain and spinal cord

When myelin is damaged, the nerve cells can no longer communicate with each other, which triggers symptoms of the disease.

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“Atrophy in the cortex, the largest and most complex part of the brain, is associated with permanent disability worsening, including cognition impairment and paralysis,” lead author Allan MacKenzie-Graham, an associate professor of neurology at UCLA, told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement.

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In the study — published last month in Laboratory Investigation, a peer-reviewed medical journal of pathology — researchers gave a pregnancy hormone called estriol to mice that had a preclinical model of MS. 

A hormone released during pregnancy could help reverse damage in the cortex of the brain caused by multiple sclerosis (MS), a recent study led by UCLA found. Th study was published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.  (iStock)

The hormone was shown to slow damage, while also generating new myelin in the brains of the mice.

Currently, there are no FDA-approved treatments to repair MS-induced damage in the brain’s cortex — only treatments to decrease inflammation and slow the disease.

Many groups have been trying for over a decade to achieve brain repair, but the results have been discouraging, said MacKenzie-Graham.

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“We were surprised (and very happy) that we were able to do it,” he also said.  

One possible reason for the successful outcome is that estriol is a natural estrogen produced during pregnancy, the researcher said. 

In a way, the hormone could have simulated the process of myelin creation during brain development in the womb.

Pregnant woman

Estriol is a natural estrogen that is produced during pregnancy. The hormone could have simulated the process of myelin creation during brain development in the womb. (iStock)

“Estriol targets the cells that produce myelin, encouraging them to produce more,” he said. “It also inhibits the cells that block new myelin production.”

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He added, “Since we are using a natural hormone, there are complementary effects on multiple cell types, as opposed to synthetic drugs that target only one cell type.”

‘Very excited’

Dr. Mary Ann Picone, medical director of the MS Center at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, New Jersey, was not involved in the study but said she was “very excited” to see the results.

“We have seen in earlier phase 2 studies the positive effect of estriol on decreasing inflammatory activity within the brain, but this study shows even greater ability of estriol to help in preserving brain volume, which could translate into slowing of disability progression and possibly reversing disability,” she told Fox News Digital in an emailed statement. 

“A personalized medicine approach … holds promise for finding new treatments.”

Estriol has long been known to have an immunoprotective benefit during pregnancy, particularly in the third trimester, Picone noted.

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So she wasn’t surprised to learn that it could help protect brain health. 

Personalizing treatments for genders

The study highlights a successful example of a treatment designed specifically for women, MacKenzie-Graham said, taking into account the biological differences between men and women.  

“This accomplishment aligns with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) prioritizing the study of sex as a biological variable in all research grants,” he said.

Brain X-rays

“Atrophy in the cortex, the largest and most complex part of the brain, is associated with permanent disability worsening, including cognition impairment and paralysis,” said lead author Allan MacKenzie-Graham. (iStock)

In prior studies, estriol has been used to treat menopausal women who are experiencing cognitive impairment, while testosterone has been used to treat men with MS, “an approach that reduced brain atrophy in a pilot clinical trial,” MacKenzie-Graham said.

“A personalized medicine approach, which uses tailored treatments optimized for biologic processes in each sex, holds promise for finding new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases,” he said.

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Limitations of the study

The main limitation of the study is that it was conducted in a preclinical model of MS using mice, said MacKenzie-Graham.

“The next step is to test these findings in human clinical trials to determine if estriol treatment can induce remyelination in the brains of people with MS,” he told Fox News Digital. 

There is also a need to determine the safety of long-term estriol use in humans, Picone added.

“Patients should remain optimistic about the potential for treatments that can repair myelin damage and improve disabilities.”

Overall, the researchers believe this research brings hope for better treatments for multiple sclerosis.  

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“The discovery of estriol’s ability to induce repair in the cortex is an exciting breakthrough,” said MacKenzie-Graham. “Patients should remain optimistic about the potential for treatments that can repair myelin damage and improve disabilities.”

He also said, “This may be accomplished by considering biological variables, such as sex, in developing tailored treatments.”

MS awareness

Nearly one million people are currently living with MS in the U.S., according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. (iStock)

Additionally, he calls for researchers to further investigate the beneficial effects of estrogens in protecting and repairing the brain in neurodegenerative diseases such as MS and Alzheimer’s disease.  

“Instead of the standard estrogens that have used for over 30 years in birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy, neuroscientists should investigate unique estrogens that can induce brain repair, particularly those that recapitulate the effect of pregnancy on brain development,” he added.

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Nearly one million people are currently living with MS in the U.S., according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, a nonprofit headquartered in New York. 

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Water for Weight Loss? How Much You Should Drink to Shed More Weight

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Ivanka Trump stays fit with this self-defense practice: ‘Moving meditation’

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Ivanka Trump stays fit with this self-defense practice: ‘Moving meditation’

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Ivanka Trump, the daughter of incoming President Donald Trump, has been known to lead an active life.

As the mother of three kids and a lover of outdoor sports, the 43-year-old is always on the move, recently adding jiu-jitsu to her mix of physical activity.

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In a recent appearance on The Skinny Confidential Him & Her podcast, Trump shared how her daughter, Arabella, expressed interest in learning self-defense when she was 11.

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“I’m just so in awe of [her],” Trump said about her daughter. “She came to me and said, ‘As a woman, I feel like I need to know how to defend myself, and I don’t have a confidence level yet that I can do that.’”

Ivanka Trump plays with her daughter, Arabella Rose Kushner, in the Rose Garden during a Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House in June 2017. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Trump responded, “At 11 … I was not thinking about how to physically defend myself, and I thought it was the coolest thing.”

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After researching self-defense options, Trump enrolled Arabella, now 13, in jiu-jitsu (martial arts) classes with the Valente Brothers in Miami, Florida – and soon the whole family joined in.

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“[Arabella] started asking me to join – I joined,” she said. “Then my two sons wanted to do what their older sister was doing. Then my husband joined … It is good for everyone.”

“It’s almost like a moving meditation.”

Trump, who is now a blue belt in jiu-jitsu, described that she likes how the sport “meshes physical movement.”

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“It’s almost like a moving meditation because the movements are so micro,” she said. “It’s like three-dimensional chess.”

“There’s like a real spiritualism to it … The grounding in sort of samurai tradition and culture and wisdom.”

During President Trump’s first term in the White House, Ivanka Trump noted that she had very little focus on fitness, only taking weekly runs with husband Jared Kushner and “chasing the kids around the house.”

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Trump shared that she was “never a gym person,” but always loved sports, which still holds true today.

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She said she enjoys skiing, surfing and racquet sports like padel tennis (a hybrid of tennis and squash) and pickle ball, which she described as “fun and social.”

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are seen out for a walk

Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner are seen out for a walk with their children on Dec. 10, 2022, in Miami, Florida. (MEGA/GC Images)

‘Elevating awareness’

On the podcast, Trump said she was drawn to jiu-jitsu because it combines physical fitness and philosophy.

It also focuses more on how to extract yourself from a dangerous situation before having to harm someone who’s a threat, she noted.

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“Having these skills makes you less likely to get into a fight, not more likely to,” Trump went on.

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“Once you have the confidence that you can sort of move out of a situation, there’s a real focus on elevating awareness.”

ivanka trump waves

Ivanka Trump waves as she arrives at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland for US President Donald Trump’s departure on Jan. 20, 2021. (ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

In a previous interview with Fox News Digital, Rener Gracie, head instructor of jiu-jitsu at Gracie University in California, stressed that the only truly reliable skills are those that have been “mastered into muscle memory.”

This occurs through extensively practicing self-defense methods like Brazilian jiu-jitsu, which are “leverage-based and don’t rely on you having a physical advantage over the subject,” he noted.

“Having these skills makes you less likely to get into a fight, not more likely to.”

“And by that, I mean strength, speed, power and size — because in almost every case, the attacker is going to target someone who they feel is physically inferior to them.”

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Gracie, whose family created Brazilian jiu-jitsu and the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship), shared that jiu-jitsu is “highly sought after” because it only takes weeks or months for someone to “develop the core skills that could keep them safe in a violent physical encounter.”

‘Transformative’ strength training

In addition to mastering self-defense skills, Ivanka Trump recently revealed a shift in her fitness routine to include weightlifting and resistance training.

On Instagram, Trump posted a video displaying different exercises with various equipment in the gym, noting in the caption that she used to focus primarily on cardio, yoga and Pilates.

“Since moving to Miami, I have shifted my focus to weightlifting and resistance training, and it has been transformative in helping me build muscle and shift my body composition in ways I hadn’t imagined,” she wrote.

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“I believe in a strength training approach built on foundational, time-tested and simple movements – squats, deadlifts, hinges, pushes and pulls. These are the cornerstones of my workout, emphasizing functional strength for life.”

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Trump added that prioritizing form is “essential” to ensure results before adding on weight.

“This ensures a safe and steady progression while maintaining the integrity of each movement,” she continued. “I incorporate mobility work within my sessions to enhance range of motion.”

Ivanka Trump workout

“I believe in a strength training approach built on foundational, time-tested and simple movements – squats, deadlifts, hinges, pushes and pulls,” Ivanka Trump wrote in an October Instagram post. (Ivanka Trump/Instagram)

“Weightlifting has enhanced not just my strength but my overall athleticism and resilience,” she added.

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Trump said she dedicates three to four days a week to strength training, including two solo sessions and two with a personal trainer.

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She also said that increasing her protein intake has also been “critical” to her progress.

“I now consume between 30 and 50 grams of protein a meal,” she said. “It works … I’ve never been stronger!”

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump in miami

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump are seen arriving at the beachside eatery on May 2, 2024, in Miami Beach, Florida. (MEGA/GC Images)

Trump also still enjoys weekly yoga sessions, spending time outdoors with her children and playing sports with friends, she said.

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“I also incorporate a couple of short (10-minute), high-intensity interval training sessions (such as sprints) each week to keep my cardiovascular fitness sharp and dynamic,” she noted.

“This balanced approach has infused new energy into my fitness routine and yielded great results.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Ivanka Trump for comment.

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