Has anyone ever stopped eating any thing which contains sugar and I mean everything including jam, wine etc. Im becoming more and more convinced that its sugar that affects me. After my normal eating days and my usual meds I was at an all day lunch yesterday with lots of wine, desserts, cakes as well as delicious food. Last night even with my normal low dose of mirapexin my leg was terrible. Ive noticed it before too. Ive been very stable on my alternating meds 5 on and 2 off mirapexin a week (8months now) and I dont usually go overboard as I did yesterday but even when I do have extra sugar my rls flares up. Has anyone else noticed this ?
Sugar: Has anyone ever stopped eating... - Restless Legs Syn...
Sugar
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Memmy
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Many people find sugar and sweeteners cause rls.
It's great that you have found what triggers your rls.
Hopefully that will be all.
Congratulations.
You have won a jackpot.! 👍
Alcohol worsens RLS too for the vast majority of us so possibly the wine?
Particularly red wine - I find I can drink spirits but even a sniff of red wine has my legs twitching
Do you find white wine better with your legs? I think I drank too much white wine the day before a terrible night jerking. Even started jerking shoulders, neck and arms that night.
It's difficult to say for certain as I'm very circumspect about wine generally now but I think that red wine is more reliably a trigger. White wine is definitely not safe though. Whiskey and spirits generally are much less causative. I tend to drink cocktails now when drinking and rarely find much disturbance to the legs.
Add to that salt, caffeine etc. etc. However, you're ahead of me. Sugar was one of the things that I hung onto for as long as I could. Even though I swore off all the other foods, I couldn't believe that dear, innocuous, sweet sugar, could possibly hurt! (Do you hear the sugar addict there?) Huh! Was I wrong.
I hope you find that cutting out sugar helps. Watch out for things that are processed though, even things like baked beans contain a fair wallop of sugar! Also watch out for natural sugars. Some people can react to the sugars in dates, raisins, sultanas etc. I also avoid maple syryp like the plague... and honey is just another sugar! OH dear. What a disaster! All those foods! 
Actually, my friend says, ''Wow you're good not having puddings and cakes and everything'. Well actually no I don't think so. You don't really think people with peanut allergies are 'good' because they avoid peanuts! It's just common sense and necessary. That's how I feel about keeping clear of all the foods I do. If it gives me relief from RL then I definitely will do it.
Good luck with your experimenting. Do let us know how you get on. 
Thanks. I love sweet things too but for the sake of my sanity Im going to cut it all out and hope it works. Ill keep you posted
Sometimes yes and sometimes no! I find myself going through all things dietary to help bring some sense to this nonsensical syndrome. So far I just have more questions than answers.
restlessstoz in reply to
Don't we all? The more I read and learn, the more I realise that this disease is a complex monster and I don't know if we will ever tame him!
I agree - sugar is just sweet poison and highly inflammatory. I use stevia - a natural plant extract. It has been shown by Michael Mosley not to alter gut bacteria for the worse, not to raise blood sugar or increase insulin. It actually increases insulin sensitivity. Avoid artificial sweeteners like the plague.
Does Stevia leave an aftertaste?
It is very inexpensive so 1/8th of a teaspoon of the stevia powder is equivalent to 1 teaspoon of sugar. I don't experience any aftertaste with the white extract of stevia which you get at the health shop. You could talk to the people in the shop as I don't know what brands are available in your country. The sales people are quite knowledgeable about which brands are the best. Worth giving it a go and see if you like it. I also like Xylitol which tastes very much like sugar but I only use it in moderation. lifeextension.com/magazine/...
I prefer sucralose to both sucrose and stevia. I actually dislike coffee sweetened with ordinary sugar (sucrose) though a little glucose in the so-called unsweetened coffee powders is OK – otherwise it's just the lactose in the milk or cream that's to my taste. I bought some flavoured whey powder sweetened with stevia – much prefer sucralose. The sweetest things I tend to eat are dried dates – the sweetest natural whole product there is, I believe.
Yes I did so a year last Christmas, and it works for me. I also avoid most processed foods, especially ones that contain refined starch. I also avoid having too many starchy foods that might raise my blood sugar too high.
I found that E202 was a trigger for me a few years ago, so I avoid that as well.
Shortly after I found that raised blood sugar was the cause of my rls, I came across YouTube videos of Georgia Ede, Terry Wahls, and lately Prof Robert Lustig. That confirm my idea that rls is in many, if not most cases caused by nerve damage by high blood sugar, and my decision to avoid sugar.
I am now following the principles of The Wahls Protocol, (low carb and grain, and added nutrients), and have added more leafy green veg to my diet and kelp tablets to daily supplements (iodine).
If you check out the names that I've listed I'm sure that you'll have your Idea confirmed.
Thanks Eryl diolch. What do you mean by low carb. Are you on any meds now?
Croeso. Never taken any rls meds. When I was diagnosed with hypertension, and I had side effects from the medication I researched and found a diet that halved the medication I needed, and ever since then I've avoided taking any medication for something which I could solve with a change of diet. Pob lwc.
in reply to Memmy
Low carb is eating little to no starch or sugar and more healthy fats. There's an LCHF forum here- healthunlocked.com/lchf-diet where you can find lots of help and support. You cut out all the grain products including rice, and starchy veg- potatoes, corn, carrots, etc. They all turn to sugar. RLS is so very much better since I started LCHF (low carb, high fat). It's not easy eliminating all that, but well worth it for me anyway. Oh, by the way, the lactose in milk can be a problem too. The higher the fat content, the less lactose. If you decide to try it, let us know how you do.
Eryl in reply to
Yes, there is sugar (fructose) in fruit and veg, but there is also a very large amount of fibre, which means that is passes through the small intestine relatively quickly, and very little sugar is absorbed there. When it gets to the large intestine the microbiome gets to work on it and breaks it down into safe chemicals. When you have fructose in fruit juices and processed foods, you get little or no fibre, so the fructose is absorbed straight into the blood, causing damaging spikes in blood sugar levels.
Also I should mention that as you exercise with more intensity, the muscles get more sensitive to insulin and they consume more blood sugar, so if you don't exercise to a level where you get breathless, you need to spend more time exercising. I cycle, and hills help me to get breathless frequently.
in reply to Eryl
I'd never heard that theory before- nerve damage from high blood sugar. Wow. That would certainly explain the explosion of RLS to epidemic levels like diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, all fallout from high carb diets.
Consuming carbohydrate results in more dopamine production – part of the satisfied feeling we get when we eat it. Sugar being all carbohydrate causes quite a spike (many Internet references) – I don't know, perhaps there's a corresponding dip afterwards, but, in any case, it goes straight into the blood and I guess thereafter it's a case of how much you burn immediately, how much the liver grabs of it and stores, and how much is converted to fat. Much better to eat "slow-burn" oats – I find my RLS is much stabler that way.
Looks as if the spike leads to a depletion:
"... a “sugar high” shortly after eating sweets. Just as alcohol and drugs can deplete dopamine levels ..."
Sugar also stimulates the levels of the hormone ghrelin so you feel hungry and suppresses leptin, which tells your body that you've eaten, so when you eat sugar, you tend to eat more.
I think they're still trying to figure out exactly what affects ghrelin levels and what is affected by it. Stress and high cortisol levels tend to increase it:
but sugar, glucose, should depress it:
academic.oup.com/view-large...
Of course, you can eat an awful lot of sugar in the 5 minutes it takes to get into the blood and for your body to respond and tell you your blood sugar level is high enough. And it may take 20 minutes or more before you register the full effects of a bowl of oats.
Definitely!
I have written this before on this site but I’ll say it again for the benefit of others who haven’t seen. Artificial sweetener is the cause of my restless legs. Once I stopped using it and switched back to natural sugar and honey the problem disappeared. It took a couple of months, but I have no trouble anymore. However, sometimes I test it and the restlessness comes back right away if I start using artificial sweetener again.
There are many foods that can trigger RLS, which leads me to believe there is a strong Gut health connection.
In my own experience, I grew up eating the SAD (standard American Diet) high in sugar, processed foods, bread and carbs for the first 35 years or so, until my RLS got so bad I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I went looking for answers.
The Drug Route (DAs) were a welcome relief, but short-lived, as I started down the augmentation path pretty quickly. Partly because I have doctors that don’t have the knowledge they need to treat my correctly and had me increase my dose till it was too high. Then I went down the “Alternative” or natural health route, with herbs, minerals, vitamins, and nutrition. This route has been slow going, nearly two years in the making now, and about 8 months, since I got off the DAs which were making things worse. But I can say that I am now seeing positive results. I am not RLS free, but I am about 50% better than I was just 8 mo. ago. The attacks are far less intense, which greatly reduces the anxiety I was experiencing too. And I am finally coming to a place where I do get some periods of relief. In other words it's not all night long without a break.
I have found that cutting out sugar makes the biggest difference. Sugar cause inflammation in the body on a cellular level. So it is no wonder that Long term use of a high sugar diet will cause all sorts of health problems. The Inflammation in the gut along cause damage to the gut lining, which in turns cause absorption problems ( ie. Low iron levels etc.) and can actually start poking holes in your gut walls. (leaky gut) allowing all types of toxins to get into your body that should have never left your colon. The high sugar diet also throws off your gut biomone causing bacterial imbalances.
After being off sugar for a while now. I really notice its effects when I have some. It makes my legs go crazy!
I would encourage you to do some research of your own on gut health, low sugar/carb diets like keto or paleo. And also try to figure out what other foods my be triggers for RLS or could be continuing irritants to an already compromised gut. Gluten and Dairy can also be big triggers. And maybe seek out some professional help form a Naturalpathic doctor or functional medicine doctor to help you get on the right track.
in reply to RLSgirl
Oh my yes. Excellent post!!
I agree. I’ve recently tried changing my diet and added supplements and haven’t felt this good in 10 +years. Changing my diet allowed me to get off gabapentin. I’m still on 1mg neupro patch plus new diet (no milk, sugar, gluten) and I’m finally able to sleep. Also, my neurologist put me on vitamin B shots—-I now have energy. I’m thinking healing the gut allows iron and all the stuff our nervous system needs to be absorbed? I’m learning a lot from autoimmune diet books. Doctors and meds failed me...so I started looking outside the “box” out of serious desperation a few months ago. I’m really really hopeful for the first time in years.
Absolutely, for me alcohol is the most immediate trigger [even a few sips], then sugar, then caffeine. I too clung to sugar; it is the devil but a devil I love.
Its such a shame. I love a glass of wine and the occasional chocolate binge
Sugar additct...who...me? You couldn't have been talking to me... Seriously. No. Not me. I don't have a problem with sugar. Really! I don't....I mean it. It's all under control...I have a handle on it...so you couldn't have been talking to me...@restlesstoz
Hello Memmy
I eat stuff that is low in sugar-I know this sounds sad but I check the labels for sugar (& fat levels) My cap is 5 if its over that number then I wont touch it. I will eat something at 5 as a now & again treat
What you re describing doesnt seem to affect mine. The only thing that affected it badly was when I drunk too much alcohol the last time I went out with my friend . I didnt put any of my cream on before going to bed but an hour later it drove me so mad I put plenty on my feet & legs & got a few hours sleep -about 5.30 am it started up again so I put more on & finally to my relief it calmed down
I did a stupid thing once I kept buying bags of toffees & eating a lot of it at night & nearly ended up with type 2 diabetes- & that irritated my RLS
Hi Sara, thank for replying. What do you mean by the cap of 5 and what cream do you use on your legs. It doesnt sound as if you are on any medication and you control your rls with this cream. It sounds great
Hello Memmy youre the first one who has asked me about the cream lol -Its name is Balneum Cream there is also Balneum cream super plus but its the same thing. its a white cream -that contains Urea that I put on at night before I go to bed -or if it kicks off (pardon the pun) early evening then I rub some in for my comfort & so I can sleep easily without being woken up by my rls. I have to say that it suits my skin & may not be for everyone -but as you ve said you may try it -youre welcome to try it & make your own decisions as to whether it suits your skin or not. You can either buy it over the counter or have it on repeat prescription -I have it on my repeat prescription.
As regards cap 5 -I was referring to the sugar levels in terms of food . for example I am a big rice pudding fan -& when I looked at the amount of sugar on the front of the tin it said about 10g I think which makes it too high in sugar for me to eat & therefore dont eat it.
I also like microwave curries now & again but their sugar levels are about 5 & a half grammes of sugar in it so they would only be a treat because its over 5 grammes.
I hope this helps
Regards sara_2611
Are you on any other medication for your oegs or is 7t controlled completely with this cream
I mean legs
Yes...i think so..me too..i wanna inquire about this?
I wanna inqiuring too if sugar is affecting my RLS sypmtom...
It very well could be sugar that aggravates RLS. After a terrible night of RLS and meds I Remember I had lots of wine the day before.
Very definitely!!!!
OMG! Yes!! I suffer from relatively mild restless legs - usually a few times a week in the evenings. I know they are worse when I am hot, tired or have had alcohol. However on Jan 1st I started a serious diet - the keto diet - really low in carbs, and I didn't cheat. I normally consume quite a lot of sugars and carbs but I went for 6 weeks keeping at below 20g carbs per day, and I never had a single restless leg during the whole time. I slowly started building up my carbs and the restless legs have come back .... and are worse now I am stuck at home with Corona virus and eating my backlog of chocolate from Christmas!! Has anyone else noticed? Not sure if it is the lack of sugar that caused them to disappear or the fact that I didn't eat any processed food - only food from the fresh aisles in the supermarket.... would be fascinated to know if anyone else had made this link.
Just posted something similar below before reading your post. I've been on Keto for about 6 weeks and my RLS has totally gone. I ate very little processed food prior to this but high level of sugar / carbs, leading me to think it's the sugar / carbs that are likely more of a problem. Fingers crossed this is a long term solution.
...sorry I've not got corona virus .... just stuck at home with the social distancing policy
I found out that fast food triggers my rls, further refining on it found it was mayo and condiments and most foods in jars especially those containing xanthan gum and other food "stabilizers" and "thickners"
I strongly suggest you try to cut out such for a few days and see.
The main cause of gut problems is not HFGS but wheat. The gluten in wheat is broken down by saliva into glutenin and glaiadin. Glaiadin has the effect of causing leaky gut syndrome which allows fructose to be absorbed in the small intestine, so it never reaches the microbiome to be processed. It can also lead to ibs, Crohn's and other intestinal problems . Wheat also has a form of amylopectin A which breaks down easily in saliva and releases the simple sugars which are easily absorbed by the leaky gut. Check out a video by Dr William Davis - on youtube called "Wheat: The Unhealthy Whole Grain".
My Restless legs get better with sugar. It is the oddest thing. If my legs won't settle down at night, I have a cookie or something similar. It stops my hurting legs. I wish I knew what to substitute for sugar that would work as good. blessings
Yes i have also noted that sugar triggers it, abstaining sugar for entire 2 weeks causes RLS to suppress completely but if consumed then gets triggered again
I've mostly been able to control my RLS by keeping my legs cool at night. This has involved not eating too late, taking socks off and wearing shorts, downing 1 to 2 pints of cold water (very effective for me... not great for needing a wee during the night), and when things get really bad spraying my legs with cold water from the shower.
HOWEVER I went Keto (high fat and very low carb diet - no added sugar) last month and since then haven't had any RLS.....I've read before that sugar levels can cause nerve damage (also mentioned in this thread) I've also read that carbs can increase water retention
So I'm wondering if there's something going on with water levels / dehydration, leg temperature levels, and nerve damage from sugar.......Regardless all good so far on Keto.
Sugar really sets it off, and I crave sugar at night. Many things can set it off, sugar is a major trigger. But there are many more.
If have had RLS for decades and am on the max dosage (for RLS) of Mirapex (pramipexole) 1mg every night.
I’ve been on the keto diet since November and I’ve lost close to 50 lbs. But I’ve noticed I have more energy, sleep better, and the pain is gone. Last night I forgot to take Mirapex, which was unimaginable 6 months ago. I have noticed I’m routinely falling asleep before taking Mirapex but wake up and take it out of habit
Although this reduction in symptoms could be due to the weight loss, I have weighed less than I do right now, back in 2005-2007, and still suffered from RLS.
I really believe it’s the sugar that was causing my pain and RLS symptoms.
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