Diet Quality Linked to Less Disability Progression in People with MS

 People who reported healthy eating also reported significantly less disability progression over more than seven years in a study of 603 people with MS. This new study from the University of Melbourne in Australia is part of an ongoing effort to provide rigorous results on how lifestyle factors may affect MS outcomes.
 
Background: Diet is important in MS, possibly affecting disease activity and immune function. There is no definitive diet that has been scientifically proven to be beneficial in changing the course of MS. It is more challenging to show the benefits of a diet as opposed to a medication – one reason being that it is difficult to make sure that participants adhere to the diet. But this kind of research is needed to determine how people with MS and their health care providers can determine whether making dietary changes will improve outcomes.
 
Researchers at the University of Melbourne established the HOLISM study in 2011 - Health Outcomes and Lifestyle In a Sample of people with MS. This study is looking at the effects of diet and other lifestyle factors on MS in 2,500 participants who are assessed every 2.5 years. Previous results showed that better diet quality was linked to increased quality of life in this group.
 
The Study: The investigators analyzed data from 602 participants in the HOLISM study. Diet quality was assessed using a questionnaire that reported on the types of healthy and unhealthy foods eaten. Disability progression was measured using a self-reported assessment of mobility impairments.
 
Results: People who reported higher quality diets were significantly less likely to report disability progression after 7.5 years. Responses relating to higher dairy consumption and eating more fat  had the strongest link to increases in disability. Eating more fruits/vegetables, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and healthier food choices were also significantly associated with less risk of progression, but the links were less consistent.
 
What does this mean? This ongoing study is adding information needed to help people with MS and their health care providers understand how diet impacts MS and what changes may improve outcomes for people with MS. These results in particular show that maintaining diet quality may be important in reducing disability progression.
 
While we do not yet know that a specific diet will help your MS, any positive changes you make are likely to help your overall health and well-being.
 
Learn More…

• Learn how different food plans could affect MS in an article from Momentum Magazine
• Watch a webinar discussing dietary recommendations from the Society’s Ask an MS Expert series
• Get tips and strategies for meal prep from a RealTalk MS podcast
  

How to Prevent MS Flare-Ups

 

To try to prevent a flare-up from happening:

Take meds as directed. The drugs your doctor prescribes help slow your MS from getting worse and help prevent relapses. If you have side effects, don't just stop taking them. One study found about 25% of MS patients who stopped taking their meds had a relapse. Certain meds for Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis may cause MS-like symptoms. So can drug interactions. Check with your doctor to see if there are meds you’re taking that could be interacting with one another, and if your current meds are right for you. 

Stay healthy. A bout of cold or flu can set off your MS symptoms. A bladder infection can trigger either a flare or a pseudo-flare, so the same advice applies. In fact, infections cause a third of MS flare-ups. Wash your hands with warm water and soap during the day, get your yearly flu shot, and avoid people who look sick. Stay hydrated. Try to avoid anyone who is sick. Make sure your food is cooked properly. Practice safe sex.Ask your doctor for other ways to avoid bladder infections, including vaccinations. Try to avoid anyone who is sick. Make sure your food is cooked properly. Practice safe sex.

Relax. In some people with MS, stress can bring on flare-ups. Find calmness with meditation, yoga, counseling, or anything else that's good for you and helps you unwind. In one study, MS patients reported their stress level was cut nearly in half after 6 weeks of yoga.

Rest. You won't feel well when you're worn out. Sleep problems are common in people with MS. Symptoms like pain and muscle spasms can keep you up at night. Some of the meds that treat MS interrupt sleep, too. Work with your doctor to get your symptoms under control so you can sleep. Adjust your meds if they keep you awake. Aim for 7 to 8 hours of sleep per night.

Stay cool. High temps may trigger a flare-up. If you’re affected negatively by warm surroundings, you should skip saunas, hot tubs, and hot showers and baths. Most of the time hot weather causes fatigue. Also, do what you can to avoid being outdoors on hot days. Take cool baths and/or run air conditioning. Try a hat or clothes that hold ice packs or frozen gel packs to stay comfortable. If you have an exercise goal, divide the time you exercise into smaller segments, with rest after each one.

Eat well. Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. They’re believed to fight inflammation. Also, get plenty of fiber and stay away from foods with saturated and trans fats. A healthy diet helps keep your immune system strong.

Steer clear of smoking. This is a major risk factor for flare-ups, and it can make your symptoms worse. If you smoke, your doctor can help you make a plan to stop.

From: WebMD

What Causes an MS Flare-Up?

What triggers a flare-up is different from person to person. Most of the time, a cause cannot be found. Still, to lower your chance of a flare-up, do your best to avoid the things that make them more likely for you:

Stress

It’s a part of life, but doing what you can to manage it can lower your chance of a relapse. Meditation, yoga, and counseling are all ways to lower stress and better equip yourself to handle it. In one study, MS patients reported their stress level cut nearly in half after 6 weeks of yoga.

Fatigue

Lack of sleep can bring a flare-up. Making sleep a priority will help lower your chance of symptoms. Try to get 7-8 hours each night.

Heat

High temperatures may trigger a relapse. If you’re one of those people affected by warm surroundings, you should skip saunas, hot tubs, and hot showers and baths. Most of the time hot weather causes fatigue. Also, do what you can to avoid being outdoors on hot days.

A cool bath and air conditioning are two things that can help. Special hats or clothes that hold ice packs or frozen gel packs can also keep you comfortable. There are also special vests that use a motorized system to circulate cold water around the body. If you have an exercise goal, divide the time you exercise into smaller segments, with rest after each one.

Infections

They cause a third of MS flare-ups. To lower your risk:

Wash your hands.

Do what you can to avoid people who are ill.

Make sure food you eat is fully cooked.

Practice safe sex.

Get your annual flu shot.

Even minor infections like the cold or flu can trigger a flare-up.

If you have an infection, treat it early.

Diet

Eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids. They’re believed to fight inflammation. Also, get plenty of fiber and stay away from foods with saturated and trans fats.

A healthy diet helps keep your immune system strong.

Medications

Skipping your MS medicine can increase your risk for a flare-up. One study found about 25% of MS patients who stopped taking their medications suffered a relapse. Certain medications for Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis may cause MS-like symptoms. So can drug interactions.

Check with your doctor to see if there are medications you’re taking that could be interacting with one another.

Smoking

Smoking is a major risk factor for flare-ups. Stop and you’ll lower your chances of them. Your doctor can help you figure out a game plan.

 

 https://www.webmd.com/multiple-sclerosis/ms-flare-causes?ecd=wnl_mls_122322&ctr=wnl-mls-122322_lead_cta&mb=q80%2F%40kIeuyYKtyaYzOxdbc6RVoMqf%400VkpmvpK5yEEQ%3D

 

 

 

7 Lifestyle Changes to Help Slow MS Progression Inbox

MS is a lifelong disease. Your symptoms may gradually get worse as it progresses and parts of the brain and spinal cord get damaged. But a few simple lifestyle changes can help you stay mobile and have a good quality of life for a long time.

Stick With Your Treatment

There are more than a dozen medicines that doctors recommend to prevent relapses and slow MS. These treatments can help you feel better, but only if you take them.

Treatment Timeline

The goal with MS treatment is to prevent more trouble, says Randall Trudell, MD, an expert on this neurological disease. He says there are many effective medications from pills to infusions to help prevent relapses.

It can be hard to think about taking medications for many years to come. But the sooner you get on the right medicine routine and the longer you stick with it, the better you'll control your disease.

Some people stop taking their medicine because they don't think that it helps them or they have side effects. Talk to your doctor if that happens. They may be able to adjust your dose, switch you to a new drug, or help you manage any side effects you do have.

If you've stopped treatment because you can't afford your medicine, check with the MS Society or the company that makes the drug. They may be able to help you cover the cost.

It's also important to manage any other health problems you have. Heart disease, diabetes, lung disease, and depression can all make your MS progress more quickly. See your primary care doctor or a specialist to get diagnosed and treated.

Exercise

Years ago, doctors warned people with MS to avoid exercise because they thought it could make the disease worse. Today they know that the opposite is true.

Exercise strengthens the muscles that help you walk. It also eases fatigue, boosts mood, and improves quality of life in people with MS. There's even some evidence that strength training might help slow MS damage in the brain.

An exercise program for MS includes 150 minutes of "aerobics" each week. These are activities that get your heart pumping, like walking or swimming. Work out at your own pace and level. Also stretch for at least 10 minutes each day to release tight muscles.

Use weights or resistance bands twice a week to strengthen your muscles. A physical therapist can show you how to do each exercise correctly to prevent injury.

Eat a Healthy Diet

A balanced diet is important for your health in general, but especially when you have a long-term disease like MS. Research shows that people with MS who eat a lot of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains have less disability and fewer symptoms like depression and fatigue than those who eat less of these healthy foods.

Limit processed foods and animal fats like red meat and butter. Get your fats from healthier sources such as fish, nuts, avocados, and olive oil.

Vitamin D

People who have higher levels of vitamin D in their blood are at lower risk of getting MS. Research is underway to see if there's a link between vitamin D levels and curbing your relapses. 

You can get your daily vitamin D from foods like fatty fish and fortified milk. Your body also makes its own stores of this vitamin when your skin is in sunlight. A blood test can show whether you're low in vitamin D. If so, a supplement will help boost your levels to where they need to be.

Get Restful Sleep

A lack of sleep may not make your MS progress, but it can certainly make you feel worse. It's hard to fall asleep and stay asleep all night when you're in pain, you feel depressed, or you have to get up to use the bathroom many times. Steroids and other medicines you take to control MS can also keep you awake.

Ask your doctor whether any of your MS medicines could be affecting your sleep. Treat pain and other symptoms that are getting in the way of a restful night's sleep. Try to relax and let go of stress before bed with a warm bath, calming music, or a good book.

Don't Smoke

Yet another reason not to smoke is that it can make your MS get worse, more quickly. Smoking also raises your chances of getting heart and lung diseases, which speed up MS progression.

It's not easy to quit, especially if you've smoked for many years. But when you do kick the habit, you'll start to see health benefits right away. Make a plan to quit, get support from your doctor and friends, and have medicines and other tools on hand to lessen the urge to smoke when it hits.

Get Vaccinated

Infections like the flu can make your MS relapse and your symptoms flare up. Get your flu vaccine each fall to avoid getting sick. If you take a disease-modifying drug for MS, don't get the FluMist nasal spray because it's a live vaccine. Since your immune system -- the body's defense against germs -- is weaker from MS, the flu shot, which contains a dead form of the virus, is safer for you.

Ask your doctor whether you're up to date on all the other vaccines you need to stay healthy.

From: WebMD

 

 

Low-fat, plant-based diet in multiple sclerosis: A randomized controlled trial

Publication History

Published Online: July 06, 2016

http://www.msard-journal.com/article/S2211-0348(16)30100-6/fulltext#s0005

 

The role of diet in ameliorating the severity of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been long debated, but there remains a paucity of relevant research. Observational studies by Dr. Roy Swank, published between 1953 and 2003, suggested significantly reduced MS disease activity and disability progression and longer survival in people following a diet low in total and saturated fat compared with those who did not (Swank, 1953, Swank and Goodwin, 2003, Swank, 1970). Swank's diet book, last published in 1987, remains popular among patients with MS. However, this approach to treating MS has never been subjected to a well-controlled clinical trial.

The supposed large clinical effect of the Swank low fat diet led to our hypothesis that a very-low-fat, plant-based diet might have a large effect on MRI activity. We conducted a pilot study to explore the tolerability and potential benefits of a very-low saturated fat, plant-based diet followed for 12 months by people with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) with the primary endpoint being brain MRI disease activity.