This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Hi All,

My DH has a MS diagnosis and we went dairy and gluten free since Nov after hearing the diagnosis and after reading that various diet regimens. We recently did an ELISA test for food allergies and he is neither allergic to Dairy nor to Gluten.

Is the Dairy free/gluten free still recommended ? Please let me know your thoughts!

Thanks !

Given my obsession with insulin, I would avoid milk because it contains lactose (milk sugar) and I would avoid gluten-containing foods like wheat because they are carbohydrates and convert readily to glucose in the body. Both forms of sugar would trigger insulin production in the pancreas.

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My hypothesis: excess insulin (hyperinsulinemia) plays a major role in MS, as developed in my initial post: http://www.thisisms.com/forum/general-discussion-f1/topic1878.html "Insulin – Could This Be the Key?"

I have been on the Best Bet Diet (no dairy or gluten) for about six years. I also have taken the ELISA test and it did not show allergies to gluten but a low level to dairy. I think you need to stay dairy and gluten free no matter what the ELISA test shows. I believe the main reason to take the ELISA test is to see if any other food items show up on the test. I know it can be hard when first starting a new lifestyle diet, but I believe the results can be worth it. I also do supplements and copaxone and am doing very well.

gluten can certainly be a drain on your body's zinc resources. since zinc is lower in ms patient's that probably not the best idea.

personally, in order to tolerate eating bread, i have needed to correct an underlying zinc deficiency, plus boost zinc rich foods in my diet, and avoid zinc depleting food combinations ie red meat + bread or red meat + high phytate foods.

if you ensure zinc levels are optimal, while working to ensure an overall anti-inflammatory diet, eating some gluten grains in moderation may be doable. my 2c.

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my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

For those interested in gluten information:

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/gluten-y ... enemy-pt-1

Most docs only test for IgE (acute) allergies but they can be caused my IgM, IgA, IgD, IgG, or IgE Antibodies. If you get a check of IgG Chronic allergies you will find many that showed no IgE acute reaction to gluten, or dairy, etc do have IgG allergies to these foods. Life Extension Food Safe Allergy Test covers 95 foods for IgG allergies. If anyone knows a place that tests for IgG PLUS IgE or IgA then please let me know.

Do Allergens AFFECT Brain Function?
Dr Charles Parker (30+ years experience) has done SPECT imaging on the brains of those with ADHD. He has found "holes" of inactivity in the frontal lobe where impulse control is found. He is dealing with gut and immune issues and by reducing allergens is positively influencing the "diminished metabolism" found in the ADHD brains of many of his patients. Do you know what he is finding is the number one offender of immune problems that reduce nutrients getting to the brain? Wait for it.....DAIRY followed by wheat and eggs. By taking these three things out of the diet for 2 weeks many of his patient's, not all, symptoms improve and brain imaging is backing that up. So YEAH Allergens can affect brain health among other things.

BTW I have tested IgE positive for mushroom allergies but not dairy. Yet when I took D3 which decreased my dairy cravings and then reduced my milk consumption by 90% my sinus issues I have always had decreased by about 90% for the last FOUR years. So yeah I was having allergic/ food sensitivity that was not showing up on standard IgE testing.

Best wishes to all in working with a medical professional to reduce symptoms,
EP

My hubby was dx first Wed of Jan 2005 with RRMS. He went on Rebif and 10.5 MONTHS later, 3 relapses and 2 rounds of steroids we wanted to do something additional to try and slow this disease. So we added supplements such as D3, etc and gave up gluten and dairy. Seven WEEKS later the dark circles under his eyes went away, he lost 15 pounds, he walked 1 mph faster for about 1 mile longer with dramatically lower amount of foot drop. He went 4.5 years without relapse instead of every 3.5 months like that first year. Note he has never stopped using Rebif.

So this diet very much helped my husband's RRMS.

omitting gluten and dairy allows the body's zinc levels from food to be better retained, with diverse benefits as a result. not sure what other nutrients are better absorbed in this dietary scenario, that's still around the bend in my learning curve

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my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com