NEW YORK, N.Y. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – As many as one million American adults are living with multiple sclerosis. It’s a disease of the central nervous system that interrupts the flow of information to the brain and the rest of the body. Medications can treat the symptoms, but right now, there is no cure. Clinicians are now studying the impact of special diet on people living with the disease.
Melissa Goodman was in her late twenties working as an executive producer for a New York City music company. But late nights and long hours became too much. At just 29, Goodman had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Symptoms appeared almost out of the blue.
“I went numb from my waist down kind of quickly, so it was pretty scary,” Goodman fearfully remembers.
Goodman took medications to keep symptoms at bay. She had two healthy pregnancies, but then struggled with MS related complications after each.
“I lost my vision in each eye, but separately, one after my son and one after my daughter,” Goodman recalls.
Goodman’s vision returned, and she became committed to improving her health.
Mount Sinai neurologist, Dr. Ilana Katz Sand, MD says, “We have had increasing levels of evidence over the past few years showing us that we think diet is important.”
Dr. Katz Sand and her colleagues are studying the effects of the Mediterranean diet on people with MS. It’s a diet that’s rich in fruits and vegetables, fish, whole grains, and olive oil.
“The more their diet looks like a Mediterranean diet, the lower their scores were in terms of MS related disability across the board,” Dr. Katz Sand explains.
Goodman is following a Mediterranean style diet with lots of vegetables, fish, and lean meats. She says it’s making a difference.
Dr. Katz Sand says patients in their study had better mobility and cognition on tests and reported feeling better overall. She says the next step would testing the effects of a Mediterranean style diet on a larger group of patients with MS.
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Producer; Kirk Manson, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
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Source:
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: EATING MS SYMPTOMS AWAY!
REPORT: MB #5180
BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disease that takes a toll on the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves in the body. The cause of MS is still unknown, but is prompted by triggers in the immune system that target the central nervous system. Nearly one million people in the United States are living with MS. The number has doubled since 1975. MS is not reported to be contagious or an inherited condition. The disease is usually diagnosed in men and women between the ages of 20 and 50.
(Source:
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/Who-Gets-MS
DIAGNOSING: The disease causes interruption of signals to the brain creating numbness in the body, tingling, mood swings, loss of memory, pain, loss of vision, and fatigue. MS affects everyone differently and side effects can go away or last forever. Other symptoms of MS can include squeezing sensations around the torso, difficulty walking, muscle spasms, bladder issues, and sexual problems. Diagnosing MS quickly and accurately is vital. A doctor will usually find two separate areas of the central nervous system damaged and find evidence of when they occurred to make a diagnosis. This will also allow them to rule out other conditions.
(Source:
NEW TECHNOLOGY: New research suggests those who follow a Mediterranean diet will have decreased symptoms of MS. Neurologists from Mount Sinai, in New York have found that patients suffering with multiple sclerosis have better mobility, cognition, and overall comfort when they follow a Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet is one that includes many vegetables, fish, and lean meats. It also contains many whole grains and olive oil replacing processed ingredients.
(Source:
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13524585221127414
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Elizabeth Dowling
(347) 541-0212
Elizabeth.dowling@mountsinai.org
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