Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease, a chronic inflammatory disease of the nervous system. It runs in spurts. Can you influence them through diet? It looks quite like this.
A ketogenic diet consists of lots of healthy fats and few carbohydrates. And there is evidence that people with multiple sclerosis (MS) can benefit from it, according to the Professional Association of German Neurologists (BVDN).
The neurologists point to study results that showed that physical disabilities and fatigue were reduced in people with MS after they had been on a ketogenic diet for six months. Walking speed, mood and quality of life also improved.
Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease. This means that the immune system turns against the body. In the case of MS, defense cells attack the nervous system. As a result, impulses between the nerve cells are only passed on more slowly. The consequences are, for example, numbness in the arms and legs or problems walking.
The disease can usually be controlled well with medication, according to the BVDN. But nutrition is a screw that you can turn.
There's a possible explanation why a high-fat ketogenic diet might be a good choice. According to BVDN, there are indications that MS disease throws the brain's energy metabolism out of balance.
As a result, the metabolism of the nerve cells changes and relies on fats as an energy source. "A ketogenic diet is apparently well suited to supplying the required amount of fat for energy production," says neurologist Gereon Nelles from BVDN. The fats you eat on a ketogenic diet come from things like fish, meat, vegetable oils, and nuts.
The ketogenic diet thus enables increased energy metabolism in the cells - and that can alleviate MS symptoms.
