Plant-Based Diet May Reduce MS Fatigue

People with multiple
sclerosis who, for one year, followed a plant-based diet very low in saturated
fat had much less MS-related fatigue at the end of that year and significantly
less fatigue than a control group of people with MS who didn’t follow the diet,
according to an Oregon Health & Science University study presented at the
American Academy of Neurology’s Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Pa.

The study was the first
randomized-controlled trial to examine the potential benefits of the low-fat
diet on the management of MS. The study found no significant differences
between the two groups in brain lesions detected on MRI brain scans or on other
measures of MS. But while the number of trial participants was relatively
small, study leaders believe the significantly improved fatigue symptoms
merited further and larger studies of the diet.

“Fatigue can be a
debilitating problem for many people living with relapsing-remitting MS,”
said Vijayshree Yadav, MD, an associate professor of neurology in the OHSU School
of Medicine and clinical medical director of the OHSU Multiple Sclerosis
Center. “So this study’s results – showing some notable improvement in
fatigue for people who follow this diet – are a hopeful hint of something that
could help many people with MS.”

The study investigated the
effects of following a diet called the McDougall Diet, devised by John
McDougall, MD. The diet is partly based on an MS-fighting diet developed in the
1940s and 1950s by the late Roy Swank, MD, a former head of the division of
neurology at OHSU. The McDougall diet, very low in saturated fat, focuses on
eating starches, fruits, and vegetables, and does not include meat, fish, or
dairy products.

The study, which began in
2008, looked at the diet’s effect on the most common form of MS, called
relapsing remitting MS. About 85 percent of people with MS have
relapsing-remitting MS, characterized by clearly-defined attacks of worsening
neurological function, followed by recovery periods when symptoms improve
partially or completely.

The study measured
indicators of MS among a group of people who followed the McDougall Diet for 12
months and a control group that did not. The study measured a range of MS
indicators and symptoms, including brain lesions on MRI brain scans of study participants,
relapse rate, disabilities caused by the disease, body weight, and cholesterol
levels.

It found no difference
between the diet group and the control group in the number of MS-caused brain
lesions detected on the MRI scans. It also found no difference between the two
groups in relapse rate or level of disability caused by the disease. People who
followed the diet did lose significantly more weight than the control group and
had significantly lower cholesterol levels. People who followed the diet also
had higher scores on a questionnaire that measured their quality of life and
overall mood.

The study’s sample size
was relatively small. Fifty-three people completed the study, with 27 in the
control group and 22 people in the diet group who complied with the diet’s
restrictions.

“This study showed
the low-fat diet might offer some promising help with the fatigue that often
comes with MS,” said Dennis Bourdette, MD, FAAN, chair of OHSU’s
Department of Neurology, director of OHSU’s MS Center, and a study co-author.
“But further study is needed, hopefully with a larger trial where we can
more closely look at how the diet might help fatigue and possibly affect other
symptoms of MS.”

source: MSFYi June 30th edition

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