This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

For 95% of the people in America, eating according to the Swank Diet would be a drastic improvement in diet. Again and again we get research showing us that saturated fat is bad, lots of fruits and vegetables is good, and vegan or vegetarian is probably healthiest of all.

What could you possibly be missing by eating the Swank Diet? Not enough dairy or red meat?

Just wondering.

Supplements are a separate issue- there are several threads on here and on Braintalk where one can easily locate 5-10 supplements that are potenitally helpful (and almost guaranteed not to harm) in cases of MS.

For the past 15 years or so, I think I've eaten pretty well with lots of organic fresh foods and whole grains. Since my first MS symptoms and diagnosis a year ago, I've tried a little harder to avoid the high fat empty calories (although I still indulge from time to time) and now I'm taking omega 3-6-9 supplements. I'm on a CRAB, am relapse free for almost a year now and my MRI at 6 months was clear. So is it the diet, the CRAB, or the normal progression of disease?

My approach is general Wellness 101, without being so strict that life's no fun!

carolsue

Carol,

I'm confused. If you met the criteria for MS a year ago, but have also been relapse-free for a year, how do you meet the criteria for MS? Have you only had one episode?

Just wondering if perhaps you had a clinically isolated episode...?

That's what I've been diagnosed with.

Daunted,
Sorry for the confusion, I was being approximate with the use of "year"
First symptoms in late Jan 2004. Second symptoms and diagnosis in early to mid April 2004. Relapse free since (and fingers crossed!). So I've had the two distinct episodes at least a month apart and the corroborating MRI results.

let's hope your isolated episode stays that way, eh?
carolsue

Hey wait a minute..........can we get back to the original post in this thread regarding diet? I'm anxious.....and curious as to everyone's experiences with various diets, particularly Swank.

Thanks

Treez

Treez,

I have been following the paleolithic diet at www.direct-ms.org as best as I can, slowly eliminating potentially harmful foods and adding benefical ones. Have you checked out that website?

If you just search on "Paleolithic Diet" on the web you will see that this can be health-improving in many ways, not just in terms of improving MS.

Haven't posted here in awhile regarding diet.

The one recent experience that prompted this post:

Last weekend I attended a seminar that was sponsored be Biogen (Avonex) and presented by one of the half dozen or so Neuros. that are known to have a good reputation, and are pretty well known amongst the MS community in this area. At the end of the presentation there was a question and answer session. Neuro. addressed questions attendees presented on cards that were submitted.

On my card, I asked Neuro's opinion on research and available evidence regarding:

1)Swank Diet and other diets addressing Sat. fats, omega 3's, and what benefit they may have.

THIS NEURO NEVER HEARD OF THE SWANK DIET! She polled the audience, of 100 - 125 people attending, I think only 1 or 2 had even heard of Dr. Swank.

2) Vitamin D and deficiencies as a possible cause and/or benefit of therapy. She just addressed vitamins, supplements in general as possibly beneficial when taken in moderation. She went on to discuss vitamins she personally feels may be beneficial, specifically B's and antioxidants.

3) Cpn chronic infection as a possible cause in a subset of MS.
She ignored the question.

(The more I write here I'm thinking this might not be the best thread to post this.)

This is basically the reaction I get from my Neuro too. After asking both an open minded psychologist and psychiatrist as to their opinions, they both confirmed my recent findings:

1) The general population takes their doctors' diagnosis, information, and treatments as gospel. Look no further, their doctor knows all, there is no need to do any of their own investigation into their diagnosis or condition.

2) Doctors don't get any training regarding lifestyle, diet, nutrition, etc. They all are trained (or educated) with the mind-set.....if there is a condition, or disease, there is a medication that will cure, or control it. With varying degrees of success of course. Prescribe, that is what the patient wants, a med that will take care of it.....right now.

3) My wife is a pharmacist, patient compliance with meds. is generally poor, bordering on terrible. Can you imagine trying to get people to follow a diet that would be a major lifestyle change when many people forget to take a pill once daily, or can't be bothered?

I'd be curious as to everyone else's opinions.

My bottom line opinion:

Diet modification may be a very effective preventative/treatment with MS and other inflammatory neuro. disorders. Dr. Swank has the only long term study results I can find regarding diet, MS, and disability progression.........or more importantly , the lack of progression. The problem is......no one will formally study it, no one will give it a chance! There is no money to be made by telling us to modify our poor, convenience oriented trans. fat, hydrogenated, 100 gr. of fat / day diets.


Treez.....aka Steve

P.S. I have found very compelling evidence that diet may be directly related to MS, its development, and its' management. The only long term study shows no, or very insignificant, disability progression for 30 years + in a very high percentage of study subjects. Then the study ended.

Treez,

I think that we (myself includud) expect our neurologists to stay current on all MS info, and we lose sight of the fact that they are expected to do the same by their patients who have Parkinson's, ALS, strokes, Altzheimer's, etc.

Some are more behind on their reading and continuing ed than others, and I'm surprised that the neurologist you spoke of was invited to speak at an MS event.

The more health care personnal I encounter regarding the treatment of my MS, the stronger I feel that if a person has access to a true MS specialist through their health care plan that's who they need to be seeing.

DenverCO

''In the last analysis, we see only what we are ready to see, what we have been taught to see. We eliminate and ignore everything that is not a part of our prejudices''

-Jean-Martin Charcot

Sorry to butt in again, but Charcot was the French phyicsian who first thought that MS must have an infective cause, in the late 1900s.

Sarah

Steve, have you a reference I could quote to neurologist "treating" me when I see him next Wednesday?

TIA

_________________
John
I am what I am

Give me a little time, there are many many articles I have run across, I'll have to get them together.

Will find links to a few and post them here.

Treez

John,

When I started looking through all the articles I have printed, many are pieces to a puzzle, no one article summarizes nutrition and MS. Besides, I wouldn't put all my faith in one article anyhow. The one website I had found that puts much weight in proper nutrition and diet is this one:

http://www.direct-ms.org

There are several articles (menu on left, "new papers" and "papers" that address Omega 3's Omega 6's, total fat intake, and vitamin D. Good site, follow links and read, read, read.......there is lots!

Dr. Roy Swank had spent about 35 years researching the relationship of excess fat, of the wrong kinds, and MS. More importantly, implimenting a diet with strict fat limitations and the right kinds. You need to get the book....and read it!

[b]The Multiple Sclerosis Diet Book[u]

Roy Laver Swank & Barbara Brewer Dugan
Latest copyright 1987

I believe Dr. Swank recently passed away but there is an ongoing following, with an active website:
http://www.swankmsdiet.org/

Next......a website about all disorders....period. This link takes you to "Chronic Inflammation, pay attention to the "Nutrient" category, you'll see what I mean. Look around also a good site:

http://www.diagnose-me.com/cond/C155464.html

Next........just another article I came across, different source of info., isn't that what we're after? Many different researches to support the same theory?


http://www.thenutritionreporter.com/Multiple Sclerosis.html

I have soo.... many articles I have come across that reinforce the nutrition idea for treatment of MS.....remember not cures, just very effective treatments!

I have 2 short articles I'd include relating to Omega 3's, inflammation, and auto immune diseases but can't figure out how to include them with the image tag above??


Steve

A couple URL links above didn't work???? They are active links, just cut & paste. The Nutrition Reporter is no longer avail.?? I have the article though

Here's a study showing almost a FULL EDSS point between very low fat diet with fish oil and a "normal" healthy diet.

This study alone should be enough for most neurologists to recommend a low fat paleolithic diet with fish oil to all their patients. The doctors that aren't even aware of this, are, frankly, scary.

A Randomized Study of Low Fat Diet with -3 Fatty Acid Supplementation in Patients with Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis

Bianca Weinstock-Guttman, Buffalo, NY, Monika Baier, Denver, CO, Joan Feichter, Eileen Gallagher, Jaya Vekatraman, Kulwara Meksawan, Park Youngmin, Buffalo, NY, Richard Rudick, Cleveland, OH

Objective:

To determine the impact of a low fat diet supplemented with -3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in addition to standard disease modifying therapy on the quality of life, neurological status and immunological parameters in patients with RRMS.

Background:

There is an increasing body of evidence suggesting interactions between the immune system and dietary manipulation. Derivatives of -3 PUFA represent potent regulatory molecules in cell function. The benefits of dietary intervention in MS in addition to disease modifying therapies have not been rigorously studied.

Design/Methods:

Patients with RRMS were randomized into a 1-year controlled study comparing two dietary interventions: Group 1 received a very low fat diet (below 15%) with supplemental -3 PUFA (6 fish oil capsules daily) and Group 2 received the AHA Step I diet (fat not exceeding 30%) with 6 olive oil capsules. Patients were on interferon or glatiramer acetate for at least 2 months before entering the study. The Physical Components from the Short Form Health Survey was the primary outcome supplemented by the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale and the Mental Health Inventory. Secondary outcome measures were the EDSS and relapse rate. Multiple immunological parameters were evaluated including ICAM, VCAM, RANTES, IL-1, IL-8, IL-4, IL-12, and IFN every 3 months.

Results:

Thirty-two patients were enrolled in this study but only 29 continued the study for at least 3 months. There were no significant baseline demographic differences between the 2 groups. Mean follow up was 9.8 months (SD=7.4), 14 patients had completed 1yr at time of analysis. There was a significant decrease in number of attacks only in Group1 with a mean difference of -0.86 (SD= 1.03) (p=0.0081), compared to 1 yr prior to the study. A significant impact of diet on EDSS was observed at 12 months (p= 0.043) with a decrease in EDSS of 0.4 in Group 1 but a worsening of 0.5 in Group 2. HDL remained stable or increased in Group1, while the Group 2 showed a mild decrease (p=0.0196). A significant correlation was observed between the calories at baseline and last visit and the change in EDSS only in the Group 1(p=0.0038 and p=0.0234 respectively). A significant decrease from baseline to last visit was observed for ICAM (p=0.0105) and for RANTES (p=0.0203) in the Group 1, while in the Group 2 only the ICAM levels reached significance (p=0.007). No significant changes over time or in between the groups were seen in different cytokine levels including IL-1, IL-4, IL-8, IL-12 as well as IFN .

Conclusions:

Our data suggests that the very low fat diet with supplemental -3 PUFA was well tolerated, and may have a beneficial additive effect to the standard therapy for multiple sclerosis.

Supported By:

Daunted,

You are a patient guy, That is a whole lot of typing to copy all that here.

That study rings a bell, where did you come across it Daunted?

Is there a way I can scan docs. and easily post them here? My problem is resolution vs. file size. I certainly don't want to post a 2 meg scan as a picture (image) to the board.

Treez