Does High-Fat Food Aggravate MS Symptoms?

[MsWobbles]

Does anyone else notice a relationship to fatty food intake and numbness or any other MS symptoms?  After much fat intake (not my normal eating pattern) I seem to have more numbness.

Weakandfalling

[Heartshome]

Swank's diet not is not only concerned with low saturated fat, but it also relies heavily on getting enough of the good fats, e.g. those like olive oil, fish oil, sunflower oil, etc.
It's about balancing Omega 3 and 6 oils along with fresh fruits / veggies, and whole grains.

What get missed a lot of times is in addition to the diet he demands LOTS OF REST. Up to 1-2 hours of lying down per day. In addiiton, if you are feeling poorly, even more rest, and a positive attitude. This is healthy diet, and mind/body medicine long before it's time.

I find that the rest deal works really well for me. Again, this is not a cure for MS. There is no such thing. IT'S A WAY TO SLOW DOWN THE PROGRESSION, AND IT WORKS BEST FOR THOSE IN THE EARLY STAGES OF THE DISEASE. ALSO, YOU CANNOT CHEAT ON THIS DIET--EVEN A LITTLE. IT'S NOT LIKE DIETING TO LOSE WEIGHT. YOU ARE EITHER DOING THE DIET OR YOU'RE NOT. THERE IS NO HALF-WAY WITH THIS. :)

Please investigate, since it's free and healthy, what do you have to lose?

[Charley123]

I just found another MS site that has lots of info on complementary medicine and diet.  They cover several approaches, including Dr. Swank and Dr. Weil. It's: http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=show&pageid=398    Charley

[PastorDan]

Fluffysmom wrote:

"There are homemade ice cream stands all over where I've been; couldn't resist the one by the strawberry fields where we stopped to pick; they had made the ice cream the night before with the fresh strawberries."

CAN YOU OVERNIGHT SOME OF THAT STUFF TO OHIO? ;D

[MsWobbles]

Thanks for the continuing posts!  I will be sure to research the Swank diet. I hadn't heard of that one before.

Like Charley, I felt like I was in really bad shape on Sunday and going into Monday.  It was scary!  I'm eating all low fat today, mainly veggies and fruit.  

Thanks for the very useful input!!

Weakandfalling

[Charley123]

When my last set of docs wrote me off as being a nutty person with ischemic disease (both refuted by my new docs) I became very interested in a diet that would help me with my symptoms.  There is a lot of controversy over MS diets and many docs claim that there is no proof that the diets work.  However, I felt that I didn't have anything to lose as my previous docs were of no help at all.

So I researched the diets, especially Dr. Swank's, and also researched diets that would help with inflammation.  I found a list of inflammatory disease and many of them have shown up in several generations in my family. (cancer, arthritis, MS etc.) I found a lot of information that all pointed to trans fats, hydrogenated oils, dairy and sugar as being triggers for inflammation.   Dr. Weil:  http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/id/QAA359518  There is a lot of anecdotal info on the web about diet and MS.

Here's an interesting book on inflammation in google books: http://books.google.com/books?id=gLA50UL2ifcC&pg=PA34&lpg=PA34&dq=Multiple+Sclerosis+inflammation+diet&source=bl&ots=v4YdOn9nID&sig=KarM4TK0offjfccdBGmhxG0prgs&hl=en&ei=SL_tSdLEC4SmM-7K_QE&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#PPA40,M1

Dr. Swank's diet, http://www.swankmsdiet.org/  is fairly easy to read and understand.  I've also read his book.  I don't follow it to the letter, but have used many resources to modify  my eating habits.  He has good info on different types of fats found in all foods.  It took about a year to change my habits and come up with food that I really enjoyed. I used the Vegetarian Times Cookbook a lot as it has really tasty recipes that satisfied my comfy food needs.

I can't scientifically prove that it has made a difference in my MS symptoms, except I can say that they are not as strong as they were 3 years ago.  It did make a huge difference in my other symptoms.  My cholesterol dropped 80 points, my arthritis symptoms went away, no more tendonitis and the miracle of miracles- I dropped 40 pounds without trying.  

My new neuro was surprised that I was not on any medication and told me that I was the healthiest person with MS that he'd seen in quite a while.  

I basically experimented with food and that was fun as I love to cook.  Before I accepted this new way of eating I was so sick that I thought I was going to die.  That was what pushed me to find another way to deal how horrible I felt.  I know food is a very personal issue for most people and I hope I am not sounding preachy.  I just wanted to share again what has worked for me and hope that you will find what works for you, Charley

[Heartshome]

Google The Swank MS Diet. This is a diet very low in saturated fats that focuses on eating fruits/veggies, whole grains, chicken/turkey breast and fish.

It's a big change in eating, but a healthy one for everyone. It wa designed by the lead Neuro at Oregon Health Sciences Univ. There is a website dedicated to it and the forum is useful They also offer many wonderful recipes.

Since I have been doing this diet for two years now, most of my symptoms have gone away, although they still do flare from time to time. It's not a cure, just a way of hopefully slowing down the disease process. It mainly is beneficial to those in the early stages of Ms.

[Fluffysmom]

Hi.  I'm sorry you're feeling so bad.  I know that bad fats make me feel worse, period.  I'm not diagnosed, but I've had several flares of neurological symptoms in the last 14 months.

I had excellent eating habits before things changed last year, had my brain MRI with lots of lesions, etc.  I've started to notice that I make much worse choices  as my symptoms are flaring up.  I call it "comfort eating".

Is it possible that your symptoms were starting to flare up, you ate lots of rich food, and your symptoms continued to get worse?  Just a thought.

I'm visiting North Carolina for a week, and this is not a place to feel up to searching out healthier food choices.  There are homemade ice cream stands all over where I've been; couldn't resist the one by the strawberry fields where we stopped to pick; they had made the ice cream the night before with the fresh strawberries.

Pork and beef are big here, and not neccesarily the leanest cuts.  The pancakes I ordered were fried in about 1/2 cube of butter.  Veggies are served with butter on 'em.

I've been taking 200 mg. of Provigil daily, plus a nap.  Could be doing better.

I'm in Charlotte now, and know I'll find places to make healthier food choices.

Hope you feel better soon.  Take care.

Kathy

[MsWobbles]

Thanks for your input.

I had lots of fats yesterday and last night ending up with more numbness in my arms.  Today I'm feeling so bad weak, spacey, with numbness and weakness in even my left arm now, tingling, dizziness, worse instability. I had to take a Provigil which helped for about 6 hours. Then I felt worse! I almost went to the ER thinking it might be a stroke coming on.  But when I remembered what came of my ER trip last time - would end up getting a CT scan (not the most reliable of scans for brain info), and essentially nothing would come of it except a bill.  So I'm sitting tight at home with new resolve to skip the meats and the fats and try to become a vegetarian like I was years ago.  Maybe I'll include fish this time (not fried) because I do seem to need some animal protein. Got to get back to five or more fruits and veggies per day but, as you say, the fatty stuff just tastes so good!!  Darn!!  I know for sure that fats make my symptoms so much worse!!

Weakandfallinganddizzytoday

[sllowe]

Hi there,

I always feel miserable after eating things rich and fat, and salt.  But, I felt that way too pre-MS.

It's a good idea to avoid what contributes to making you feel badly, but it just "tastes" so good, durrnit. I've been eating wrong for months now.

Seriously though, a healthy diet won't cure or treat your MS that is for sure, but if you feel better in general due to it, maybe it will help you handle symptoms differently.

See you around!

[Khiba]

I agree with you that a fatty meal, with either saturated animal fat like from greasy meat or from trans fat like on french fries, or from junk food makes me feel horrible! The numbness and pain in my hands and feel way worse to the point I might have to spend the day in bed.

But when I include plenty of olive oil, flaxseed oil or coconut oil, I feel just fine. I don't think its fat in general, but the wrong kind of fat that negatively effects me.

[willowwoman7]

I read (about a year ago) that a low fat diet is helpful in treating MS. I can't remember where, but you should be able to find it on the internet. I might have seen it on the National MS Foundation website.