The opening months of 2019 saw significant research advances on many fronts in multiple sclerosis (MS). A sophisticated analysis of data using healthcare claims found that the number of people in the United States living with MS is more than twice as high as previously estimated. Dietary studies sounded a cautionary note for people with MS drinking soda and many other sweetened beverages, and a hopeful note on the potential for flavonoid-rich cocoa to reduce MS-associated fatigue. A promising stem-cell therapy is moving forward in the clinical-trials process, while the FDA is considering whether to approve a new disease-modifying therapy (DMT).