Has being dairy free helped anyone's symptoms?

[TraciT]

Has anyone tried a dairy free diet to help symptoms? I've read alot about how dairy causes inflammation in the body but was surprised to find a dairy-MS connection. The body can't tell the difference between cow dairy protein and myelin protein. Since I don't want to consume something that may cause my body to attack itself I stopped all dairy 9 months ago. I have noticed no difference but my inflammatory markers in blood work have gone down ( although I eat an anti-inflammatory diet so who knows) Removing gluten produced obvious and definitive changes so I guess I was hoping for more by removing dairy.

[jimmylegs]

nope was vegan at dx. there was no dairy to remove. more restrictions were never a logical route to healing. i had to feed my immune system and boost a bunch of nutrient dense foods. including potently anti inflammatory ones, and some densely nutritious but somewhat inflammatory ones. a balanced IF approach emphasizes anti inflammatory foods and de-emphasizes (but does not omit) pro inflammatory foods. you just have to score at least +50 anti-inflammatory score each day when healthy, increase to +100 each day if fighting illness.

[coolguy]

I tried it, but it doesnt work for me, it just didn't make a difference. I now try some supplements to support my health (approved by my doctor, which should always be the case!!), at the moment I try Choline Bitartrate (look at this website for information) and I think it helps a little, but I am not sure yet. It also has some anti-inflammatory properties.

[Scott1]

Hi,

I'm practically dairy free but I always have been as I'm lactose intolerant and have been since early childhood. I still ended up with MS anyway.

I do find a gluten free and no added sugar diet does help me. I assume people like us need to eat well anyway and gluten, in particular, does horrid things to my stomach. The added sugar is all about making crappy food more desirable but it's still rubbish.

Maybe if I wasn't lactose intolerant other things mightn't be a problem as well. Who knows.

There are plenty of articles pointing to gluten, dairy and pulses flattening the villi in your intestines. Leaky gut is often raised as an issue in MS so eating those things wouldn't be helping general health if gut permeability is something you're suspicious is a problem .

Regards,

[jimmylegs]

i used to react badly to gluten when my zinc status was low (way worse than even a typical ms patient's serum zinc level).
no longer. gluten, dairy and sugar are all drains on zinc resources in particular (and phytates, and alcohol, etc etc etc).
i mitigate by making there is loads of zinc in my system (but not too much), by not overdoing gluten, dairy or sugar, and by choosing foods carefully, eg sprouted flour or sourdough breads specifically for reduced gluten impacts, and so on.

[koneall]

I never liked milk as a kid and developed lactose intolerance as a teenager. So I don't ingest much dairy but came down with MS. I found an article looking at autoantibodies and diet. Meat or pork caused the most autoantibodies. Veggies caused the least. But cheese was just about the same as veggies.

[ElliotB]

For those consuming dairy, keep in mind that like meats, most dairy products have 'grass fed' counterparts which are likely healthier for you than dairy products produced from milk from grain fed cows..

Milk, cheese and butter (including ghee butter) made from milk from grass fed cows are available, and can make a huge difference in the nutrition they provide.

Personally, I have not had any issues with dairy although I do limit myself greatly now on their consumption because I take Vitamin D in higher than 'normal' doses and it is recommended to limit dairy when doing this.

[jimmylegs]

i have to make a better effort on the grass fed dairy front. the local grocery only carries 2L boxes and i never buy milk over 1L at a time - it would go bad.

[jerrygallow]

I think being dairy free is the most important thing I do. most people give up on diets because they don’t see immediate results. Diet is not a drug, obviously..It takes a long time to change your gut bacteria and body composition. If somebody is morbidly obese and eats a salad or two, and then say diets don’t work — we can all see the problem with that. I have been on a low saturated fat diet for a decade, and I feel close to normal most of the time. But it took several years for me to level off. The diet is not a cure, I still have flairs now and then, but I have not been on medication in five years! My first couple of years, I felt very sick. I could not imagine them doing what I do now, so unless MS is going away, it has to be the diet