- Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system.
- Small studies suggest that a low-carbohydrate, high-fat ketogenic diet may help relieve symptoms in people with multiple sclerosis.
- Keto dieters with multiple sclerosis reported feeling better, more energy, and better ability to handle daily tasks such as walking.
High fat, low carbs
Ketogenic diet
New research suggests that the immune system may help improve the lives of people with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease that attacks and damages nerves and spinal cord.
Researchers at the University of Virginia, the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Virginia Commonwealth University surveyed a group of 65 people with MS.
Ketogenic diet
6 months. The results are included in a preliminary paper presented at 74 of the American Society of Neurology.th Annual meeting.
Participants were instructed to eat less than 20 grams of carbohydrates per day (less than one medium-sized banana or apple).
They eat on the basis of foods such as eggs, meat and fish, eat large amounts of fat from olive oil, avocado, butter, or thick creams, and count non-deep vegetables such as leafy vegetables. I put a cup.
By the end of the study, 83% of participants persisted in diet and self-reported significant improvements in mental and physical health, including symptoms of MS.
According to Dr. J. Nicholas Brenton, lead author and pediatric neurologist at the University of Virginia, the results suggest that keto diet may be a promising and accessible treatment for chronic diseases. increase.
“Dietary changes can be a cheap way to improve overall health,” Brenton said in a press release. “Our study provides evidence that the ketogenic diet may certainly be safe and beneficial.”
The ketogenic dieters in this study lost weight, gained energy, and improved mental health.
After a six-month ketogenic diet, study participants reported that their mood and energy had improved significantly. Their experience was recorded through a quality of life survey, and there were questions about how often they felt tired and calm compared to being happy and energetic.
Participants also ranked that there was a particular improvement in MS symptoms, with slightly less disability after diet, and better completion of routine tasks such as walking. By the end of the study, participants had also lost weight, especially body fat.
Ketogenic diets may help protect the brain, but more research is needed
The results of this study are comparable to the Brenton-led pilot study published in 2019. The ketogenic diet has a similar effect to fasting, and both can change how the immune system functions in regulating excessive activity or reducing inflammation.
Some evidence also suggests that the benefits of diet are related to ketones, compounds that the body produces from fat to fuel the brain and body when carbohydrates are unavailable. Ketones may help reduce inflammation, protect nerve cells, and improve the ability of mitochondria to power cells.
Previous studies have shown that the ketogenic diet is potentially effective in treating other neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
The current study was limited in that it did not include a control group of MS patients who continued on a normal diet for 6 months. As a result, there were no data on symptoms to compare with the participants’ typical diet or other possible dietary changes that could be beneficial.
In a press release, Brenton said potential risks to the ketogenic diet include kidney stones, digestive problems, and malnutrition.
