CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Ivanhoe Newswire) – Nearly one million Americans are living with multiple sclerosis, a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord. Therapy and medications can slow the progression, but now, researchers say a popular eating plan, Keto Diet, is relieving some symptoms in patients with the relapsing form of MS, the most common form of the condition.
Meals that are high in healthy fats like avocados, olive oil, and salmon and extremely low in carbohydrates – the ketogenic diet is popular with those trying to drop weight quickly.
Dr. J. Nicholas Brenton, MD, neurologist at the University of Virginia Health System, says “This diet, in a way, tricks the body into thinking it’s fasting, and in fact, it’s not, and most people are quite full on this diet.”
On a keto diet, the body relies on fat for energy instead of stored sugar from carbs. Since dietary intake is known to improve the body’s immune system, Dr. Brenton and his colleagues wanted to know if the keto diet could help MS patients. He says for some, it took some getting used to.
“Putting oil on things, and lots of eggs and creams and things like that was very counterintuitive”, Dr. Brenton explains.
Eighty-three percent of the participants adhered to the keto diet for six months and found they had lower levels of depression and fatigue. They also had improved physical endurance, and a reduction in other symptoms like…
“Painful sensations, tingling sensations in their hands or feet, including improvements also in their bowel and bladder function,” Dr. Brenton mentions.
Dr. Brenton says the study shows the diet was safe and effective short-term.
Dr. Brenton says more research is needed to determine the impacts of the keto diet long-term. While healthy fats are important for someone’s health, too much saturated fat can increase cholesterol. He adds that the keto diet used in the study most closely resembled a modified Atkins diet — limiting carbohydrates to under 20 grams a day – the amount in one slice of thin wheat bread. Dr. Brenton says people with MS should consult with their doctor and nutritionist before making any dietary changes.
Contributors to this news report include: Cyndy McGrath, Producer; Kirk Manson, Videographer; Roque Correa, Editor.
To receive a free weekly e-mail on medical breakthroughs from Ivanhoe, sign up at: http://www.ivanhoe.com/ftk
Source:
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/What-is-MS/Who-Gets-MS/How-Many-People
MEDICAL BREAKTHROUGHS
RESEARCH SUMMARY
TOPIC: KETO DIET: REDUCE MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS SYMPTOMS?
REPORT: MB #5082
BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis, otherwise known as MS, is a disease that impacts the brain and spinal cord which make up the central nervous system. The central nervous system controls everything we do. The exact cause of MS is unknown currently, but what is known that something triggers the immune system to attack the brain and spinal cord. The resulting damage to myelin, the protective layer insulating wire-like nerve fibers, disrupts signals to and from the brain, and this interruption of communication signals causes unpredictable symptoms such as numbness, tingling, mood changes, memory problems, pain, fatigue, blindness and/or paralysis. Everyone’s experience with MS is different and these losses may be temporary or long lasting.
DIAGNOSING: Initial MS symptoms can be difficult to attribute to MS, and research is ongoing to help identify what causes the disease. Exposure to certain viruses or bacteria, where you live, how your immune system functions, and gene mutations are all factors that can impact a person developing MS. Vision problems, changes in gait, fatigue, loss of balance or coordination, muscle spasms, muscle weakness, and tingling or numbness, especially in your legs or arms are all signs that a person may have MS. If MS progresses and gets worse, symptoms may lead to complications such as difficulty walking that may result in needing a cane, walker or wheelchair, loss of bowel or bladder control, memory problems, and sexual difficulties.
NEW STUDY: A team led by the Institut de Neurociències at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (INc-UAB) has managed to reduce chronic inflammation associated with multiple sclerosis in mice thanks to the administration of a type of lipid that mediates inflammation. The team studied lab mice and found that these types of mediator substances, responsible for resolving the inflammatory process when it is no longer beneficial, are minimized in people with multiple sclerosis as well as in animal models of the disease. The use of these mediators could become a good strategy for the treatment of this autoimmune disease.
(Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220426101648.htm)
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THIS REPORT, PLEASE CONTACT:
Joshua Barney
1 (434) 906-8864
Jdb9a@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Marjorie Bekaert Thomas at mthomas@ivanhoe.com
