An MS-friendly diet is similar to a diet focused on promoting overall health and well-being. It restricts some foods, such as processed meats, refined carbs, and trans fats. These foods do not help manage MS symptoms and may worsen inflammation.
Many Diets, Little Evidence
A 2019 study by researchers in Australia found at least 32 websites offering dietary advice for people with MS. In addition to recommending specific foods, these meal plans cautioned against a number of supposed MS triggers, including dairy foods, gluten, saturated fat, and refined sugar.
It advises cutting out dairy and meat, and eating less fat – particularly saturated fat. It also recommends flaxseed oil as an omega 3 supplement and vitamin D supplements if you don't get out in the sun much.
Multiple sclerosis is caused by your immune system mistakenly attacking the brain and nerves. It's not clear why this happens but it may be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
The strongest known risk factor for MS is infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). Compared with uninfected individuals, the hazard of developing MS is approximately 15-fold higher among individuals infected with EBV in childhood and about 30-fold higher among those infected with EBV in adolescence or later in life.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, an anti-inflammatory diet should include foods like tomatoes, leafy greens such as spinach and kale, and fruits like strawberries, blueberries, cherries, and oranges. There's some evidence that consuming these foods could be beneficial for MS.
Dairy and MS. Overcoming MS strongly recommends that people with MS avoid dairy in their diet because research shows a high correlation between MS and dairy products, because of the high saturated fat content, and specific proteins in cow's milk.
Protect nerves from damage
These include clearing up debris left over from myelin attacks, making sure nerves have the energy they need, and improving transport of important molecules in the nerves. By finding treatments that prevent nerve loss, we could slow or stop the progression of MS.
While it is fun to indulge our sweet tooth this time of year, it is important to know that there is a correlation between sugar and MS. The direct correlation is that consuming sugar leads to increased fatigue. Fatigue and MS is devastating, so limiting your sugar intake may help.
New research, which features in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, finds that having a cocoa drink every day for 6 weeks helps combat fatigue in people living with multiple sclerosis.
Eat More Low-Fat Dairy
The National MS Society recommends 1,000 milligrams of calcium per day for adults ages 25 to 65 and 1,500 milligrams per day for postmenopausal women, preferably from calcium-rich food sources like low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese.
It is essential that people with MS get enough rest. Establishing a good bedtime routine will help ensure they get restful sleep. MS can cause debilitating fatigue. Although getting plenty of sleep can help, one symptom of fatigue is waking up from rest feeling unrefreshed.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) triggers that worsen symptoms or cause a relapse can include stress, heart disease and smoking. While some are easier to avoid than others, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and overall health and wellness can have outsized benefits for MS patients.
Boston, MA – Multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive disease that affects 2.8 million people worldwide and for which there is no definitive cure, is likely caused by infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), according to a study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers.
MS is not directly inherited from parent to child. There's no single gene that causes it. Over 200 genes might affect your chances of getting MS. But genes are only part of the story.
A wide range of conditions can be mistaken for MS, including: migraine, cerebral small vessel disease, fibromyalgia, functional neurological disorders, and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, along with uncommon inflammatory, infectious and metabolic conditions (1, 3).
Not only is drinking enough water essential to our overall health and wellbeing, it can also help to manage MS symptoms such as heat sensitivity, continence problems, and fatigue.
The risk of MS is substantially reduced among those who reported a high consumption of coffee, exceeding 900 ml daily OR 0.70 (95% CI 0.49–0.99 in the Swedish study) and OR 0.69 (95% CI 0.5–0.96 in the US study). No significant association was found between coffee or caffeine intake and the risk of MS.
A number of studies have shown that regular exercise, usually with some aerobic (cardiovascular) component, helps with MS-related fatigue. Regular exercise is also good for balance, endurance, weight loss, and well-being. It is important to use the principle of energy conservation.