Whew. I've had MS for just over 30 years. I am 55 years old. Recently I learned about some new research that shows that a Keto diet is beneficial for MS. A study showed that many participants (not all) showed improvement on MRI images - disappearance and shrinking of lesions - as well as other improvements such as decreased mental fog, after eating a strict keto diet for 6 months. I decided that I must find out for myself if this can happen for me.
I am in my third week and I am struggling. Still determined, but struggling. I still have a lot to learn and I hope to find others on the Keto diet for MS and help each other! We can share tips and provide support and just listen when needed.
Thanks for listening.
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Thanks for responding! I took a couple of days to have a mental break. I was having mental overload.
I'm reading a lot of research as well as info on Keto and there is just so much information,and it is sometimes conflicting. So, mostly it's information overload and deducing how to proceed. I want to mimic the study as closely as possible. I began following all of the general info out there about Keto, but then read that if doing it for neurological reasons ketones need to be at 3.0 and above. That is frustrating, as I am struggling with getting my ketones up. So, my struggling is 1) information overload, 2) getting my ketones up, and 3) eating in a way that I enjoy and is also satiating. It's a lot of change and so much to learn! I'm slowly getting with the program and have added MCT oil. I am curious about having exogenous ketones, but the medical opinion is that they do not know if that is helpful. SO. MUCH. INFO. So much to figure out.
You have it correct, 4:1 or 3:1, that's it! Easy peasy! 😵💫 I can imagine your shock at going from not even keto to this, but I also applaud your efforts! 🎉
Are you using a blood meter and a tracker to see what your macros are? I use chronometer, and sometimes a food scale.
I think the biggest issue is figuring out how to meet the 3:1 or 4:1 goal. That's a very weird amount of fat to eat, and regardless of how many times I've done it, I'm usually giggling at how strange my plate is! I do have to measure things to make sure my meal is correct, if I eyeball it, I'm only eating half of the fat required.
Something to keep in mind is that it can be a process to get your body into ketosis, but it does get easier with practice. I doubt everyone in the study immediately met goal ketones.
While I like exogenous ketones, they only last a few hours, are very expensive, and don't feel as great as when you make your own.
Some helpful things for the medical version are water or fat fasting (any length), cod liver or omega 3 oil (drinkable, not capsules), MCT oil, brown butter bites (many recipes online), fat bombs (few decent junk free recipes online), fat coffee or fat tea, no snacking, and wrapping your head around the idea of adding a little food to your fats (butter, olive oil, etc).
Thanks for your input. I was going to try that, but I have inherited high cholesterol, also. I am blessed, though, because I also inherited high good cholesterol which counteracts the bad cholesterol. I stayed on the Wahl's diet for 2 years, and lost 50 lbs, but its a hard diet to follow every day for years. I've had RRMS for 60 years. Right now, my biggest problem is itching. I have red bumps pop up and they itch like crazy! Always something new for us.
I am doing intermittent fasting. Is that sort of keto? Dr. Boster says intermittent fasting is safe for M.S. warriors. There's an 8 hour window when you can eat normally, and for the other 16 hours, you can have water, black coffee and unsweetened tea. I'm down about 19 pounds so far.
Wow, 30 years. I am fussing every morning trying to dress myself, and I am only 2 years in. Kudos to you!!
I started that this week! It is hard not to have a midnight snack 😂. I have found other YouTubers who say not only is it safe for ms but good for ms! I’m also buying cherry juice tonight (that’s supposed to help with inflammation).
Intermittent fasting can be done separate from Keto, but Keto works best with intermittent fasting. I'm trying to stay in a 6 hour window but it's HARD! The whole eating thing is hard. I don't always love how & what I'm eating and I desperately need to increase the variety of foods. I also struggle with still feeling a bit hungry. I'm nearly always a bit hungry. Maybe that's just me having to learn to not eat until I'm stuffed or even full? I don't know. Either way, eating this way is not enjoyable but I am determined to do it for 6 months. I have a strong need to find out if I can change anything on my MRI images. That is overriding the lack of enjoyment and food struggles!
Everything I've ever heard or read, says diet has no effect on MS. What I have heard and read, is that good health, including a healthy diet, can help minimize MS symptoms.
There was a research study in 2022 in which participants ate a controlled Keto diet for 6 months and showed improvement on MRI images. Lesions disappeared and shrank. The researchers believe that while in a state of ketosis the body can heal damage in the nervous system, including remyelination. This is different than just reducing symptoms. This makes absolute sense as the Keto diet was created for treating epilepsy. There is now significant research being done for other neurological conditions, including MS.
I probably should have shared this in my original post! This is one of the articles I read that discussed the potential for the body to heal neurological damage when in ketosis. The quote that really got my attention was this:
"Early research shows that chemicals called ketones may help restore damaged nerves, regenerate myelin, and lower inflammation."
I found an email for the lead researcher on the 6 month study that I read about and I plan to email him to ask questions and, specifically, to find out the protocol the participants followed. I know he may or may not respond, but it's worth a try!
I have been watching my carbohydrate count for many years now. I found it to be a very easy diet or actually lifestyle to maintain. Could it have helped my MS? Maybe, but I can’t prove it. I have had no MS progression. When I had my first MRI I was 57. I had a lot of lesions but none active. anf still not active after 18 years. Whether the diet has anything to do with it, it’s hard to say. I also take estrogen and progesterone I’m 75 years old and maybe that has something to do with it, or maybe I’m just lucky. I probably had MS long before I ever knew it but I had no idea so I’m kind of an exception to the rule perhaps. Although my daughter has had the similar path as I have. Maybe it’s just genetic? But no one else in my family has MS. I came off MS medication’s about 4+ years ago. I do believe in low carbohydrate and probably keto diets as well. I have felt a lot better so I don’t get bloated and I have kept my weight down. It’s a much easier diet to comply to for the most part. It’s sometimes hard to give up some of those starchy things I like but I gave myself leeway on the weekends and I did have some starch as I’ve gotten older but not all that much. I try to stay in the area of 60 to 150 net carbs a day. It’s easy to do. It beats counting calories believe me. The weight came off right away when I first started and really stuck to the amounts and the regimen etc.
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