{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,13]],"date-time":"2025-10-13T15:04:48Z","timestamp":1760367888953,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":28,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,14]],"date-time":"2024-01-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1705190400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"CiiEM","award":["10.54499\/UIDB\/04585\/2020"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["10.54499\/UIDB\/04585\/2020"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Growing evidence suggests the involvement of adipose tissue in modulating the clinical course of relapsing\u2013remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS). This study aimed to investigate whether the intake of combined oral contraceptives (COCs) affects body weight and leptin and adiponectin (APN) blood levels in these patients. Clinical data from 62 women (M = 33.23 year) were recorded prior to the initiation of disease-modifying therapy. Patients who were taking COCs at the time of experiencing the first symptoms of disease (COC user) were compared with those who never used these formulations or stopped taking them before disease onset (COC non-user). Bivariate Pearson\u2019s correlations and hierarchical multiple linear regressions analysis were conducted. Normalized APN levels were lower in the COC-using patients (p = 0.013). Negative correlations between waist circumference and normalized APN (p = 0.001) were observed only in the COC non-user patients. A longer duration of COC intake was associated with increased body mass index and waist circumference (p = 0.003). Normalized APN predicted the MS Severity Score (MSSS) (p = 0.020), but this correlation was lost in the COC user patients. After adjusting for confounders, only age (p = 0.027) and, later, disease onset (p = 0.014) were correlated with the MSSS. Larger and prospective studies are needed to investigate the interactions of sex steroids with adipose metabolism in modulating disease progression.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm13020464","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,15]],"date-time":"2024-01-15T07:25:07Z","timestamp":1705303507000},"page":"464","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Oral Contraceptives Interact with Adiposity-Associated Markers in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"V\u00e9ronique","family":"Ferret-Sena","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Caparica, 2829-511 Almada, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Catarina","family":"Ramos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Caparica, 2829-511 Almada, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Maria Jo\u00e3o","family":"Cascais","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Nutritional Biochemistry, NOVA Medical School, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1150-199 Lisbon, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carlos","family":"Capela","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Centro de Responsabilidade Integrado de Esclerose M\u00faltipla, Hospital Santo Ant\u00f3nio dos Capuchos, Centro Hospitalar Universit\u00e1rio Lisboa Central, EPE, 1169-050 Lisbon, Portugal"},{"name":"Centro Cl\u00ednico Acad\u00e9mico de Lisboa, 1159-056 Lisbon, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5021-5769","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Armando","family":"Sena","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Caparica, 2829-511 Almada, Portugal"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,1,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1622","DOI":"10.1016\/S0140-6736(18)30481-1","article-title":"Multiple Sclerosis","volume":"391","author":"Thompson","year":"2018","journal-title":"Lancet"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1038393","DOI":"10.3389\/fimmu.2022.1038393","article-title":"Multiple Sclerosis and Obesity: The Role of Adipokines","volume":"13","author":"Correale","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front. 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