does what you eat and drink make R.L.S worse

[auldreekie18]

Does eating and drinking certain foods and drinks make R.L.S worse ,I think it does so going on a strict diet to see if it works .

[Hidden]

The simple answer is yes, it can.

However, it's actually a complex subject. It's not just a matter of just restricting the amount you eat but also about avoiding some specific substances and ensuring that you get sufficient amounts of other substances.

Diet can be an "aggravating" factor for RLS. On the other hand, some deficiencies can be corrected by diet, but often, it's easier to take a relevant food supplement.

For somebody with RLS, Alcohol, sugar, nicotine and caffeine are all known "triggers" for RLS. This means their effects can be apparent the same day. They can also disappear the next night if you don't repeat the trigger.

One way of identifying any other triggers is to keep a food/drink diary. A journal of what you eat each day and your symptoms that night.

Other dietary factors however may take time to have any effect. and eliminating them may take time to relieve RLS. Months at least.

The other issue is that there's no one factor that affects everybody and no complete list of all the possible factors. What works for one doesn't necessarily mean it will work for everybody.

The main mechanism by which diet can affect RLS is through inflammation. Inflammation is a known mediating factor in RLS, possibly because it may interfere with iron metabolism.

Generally, for everyone, excess carbohydrate in the diet can cause chronic "sub-clinical" inflammation. Sub clinical means no symptoms, you don't know you have it.

I know of members of this forum who manage their RLS solely by adhering to a low carbohydrate diet alone.

There are members who seem to manage their RLS by adhering to a low oxalate diet.

I envy and admire them. Their pursuance of their diet seems to require an amount of self discipline, I don't possess. There's no guarantee they'll work and it may take years to find out anyway.

Some people, unknowingly are "sensitive" to particular substances, usually proteins. Although they may not actually cause an allergic reaction. Common ones are lactose and gluten. There is some evidence that even if you're not sensitive, gluten can still cause inflammation.

I discovered that meat doesn't suit me and after becoming vegetarian 45 years ago, I became healhier, gained needed weight and resisted viruses better.

(This is NOT a suggestion for covid 19).

This also points to intestinal (gut) health, not just diet being a factor. If there is any obvious bowel problem such as SIBO, IBS or hbacter pylori this needs treatment.

Gut health is also promoted by having sufficient "friendly" bacteria in the gut. Achieved by avoiding things that kill them, or replacing them, e.g. with probiotics.

As if that's not already enough to think about. You can also increase some things in your diet. The main thing is ensuring enough iron and enough protein.

Easier if you're NOT vegetarian. The iron found in meat, heme, is easier to absorb than the iron found in plants. There are iron rich meats. I have drunk a glass of orange with at least one meal a day, for 45 years. This helps iron absorption.

You can also take iron as a supplement. Separate information on this. Magnesium, vitamin B12/folate and vitamin D can help.

Magnesium needs to be taken separately from any other supplement or drug. This also applied to antacids especially those containing magnesium.

A good anti-oxidant supplement can also combat inflammation. A particular source for RLS is celery juice.

I hope this gives you some ideas.

[Madlegs1 in reply to Hidden]

Couldn't have said it better, me Aul Segocia.👍

[Bks429 in reply to Hidden]

Manerva: (I have been unable to respond on my app, so now working on the computer). Anyway, I became a vegetarian in or around 1996. Recently, in going over my history with a new doctor!!, I realized that my RLS began in or around the same time. I was NOT properly supplementing my iron. My RLS slowly worsened over the years until a couple of years ago when all hell broke loose. Do you think my not eating meat and NOT supplementing iron over those years could be the cause of it worsening, or do you think I would have gotten to this point regardless? By the way, when my ferritin was found to be so low, I did resume eating meat recently: not often, but I have. An aside: a few months ago I needed to have steroid spinal injections. HOLY CROW - four nights of absolute HELL.

[Hidden in reply to Bks429]

I'm afraid I can't answer your question, definitively, one way or the other. Lack of dietary iron, I believe, is a common factor in anaemia even for meat eaters. Since you don't even have to be anaemic to suffer RLS,lack of dietary iron may be even more significant. Add in the vegetarian factor and it seems you have a recipe (scuse the pun) for iron deficiency.

The short answer is, yes being vegetarian may be one factor (amongst others) that led to your RLS.

You would have to have the genetic susceptibility to it.

For me there's no hint of a connection being vegetarian with my RLS. However from the start I was always a ware of the issue with ironand mader sure I ate vegs known to be higher in iron and I drink a lot of orange.

A further answer is that years of not supplementing will have most likely contributed to your RLS

Not eating meat, for me, has never been a problem and I have benefitted from it. Happily now, you don't get the derogatory remarks you used to get from people back in the 70s'.

I don't really like having to be dependent on suppIements, but I will take iron. I do think there's good moral reasons for not eating particularly red meat.

It takes eight kilograms (pounds, or whatever you preferred unit is) of vegetable protein (I believe) to produce one kilogram of red meat protein. Hence every time you eat meat, you are depriving 7 other people of food.

Producing red meat has a huge carbon footprint. In the UK the sale of new petrol or diesel cars will be banned from 2030 onw ards. I see no such plans for red meat!

[fabPhilly in reply to Hidden]

Hello Manerva. This is my first time posting and sorry, I don't know how to start a new thread so responding to yours! I have RLS and muscle spasms/cramping plus overactive bladder. I exercise, eat low carb, do all the "right things." I recently had a neurotransmitter test done and found I have off the charts glutamate and acetylcholine and low gaba. After much research on my part, my understanding is that excitatory motor neurons in the brain send signals to the spinal cord which in turn affect the nerves downstream. I honestly think this may be what's going on. the question is what ARE each individual's triggers!? I'm curious whether others on this site have been tested for neurotransmitters and the result, but also, has anyone on this site used any kind of brain modulation technology, ie: tDCS, tACS, PEMF, some type of wearable device, red light therapy or even bio or neurofeedback?

[Hidden in reply to fabPhilly]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Firstly, if you do want to start a new thread, an easy way of doing this is to go the RLS forum home page and click on the "Write" tab.

This will take you another page where you can Give your Thread a Title, text and even add a picture, then "Post" it.

You may in fact get more and better replies to your query by doing this, so I suggest you do.

A quick answer to your query however.

An excess of glutamate/low GABA is associated with RLS alongside the dopamine dysfunction associated with RLS.

Did your neurotransmitter test say anything about dopamine?

In addition adenosine is thought to underly both the issues.

Did your neurotransmitter test say anything about adenosine?

In any event one way of dealing with RLS is to restore the glutamate/GABA balance.

How to do that then?

The only technology I know that's been suggested for RLS and undergoing some trial is rTMS (repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation).

It's too early to say how effective this is going to be and I have no idea what effect it has on glutamate/GABA levels.

Some members of this forum have attempted to reduce glutamate levels by diet and/or others increase GABA by taking supplements.

The standard first line medical treatments for RLS i.e. pregabalin or gabapentin work by boosting GABA levels and reducing glutamate levels and can be quite effective.

The medicines that are effective for RLS however, may not deal with muscle spasms/ cramping nor overactive bladder. These may be a separate issue to RLS.

Muscle spasms/cramping aren't necessarily anything to do with the nerves and may be more associated with electrolyte issues.

If you live in the UK you may find this link helpful

nhs.uk/conditions/urinary-i...

[fabPhilly in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your thoughtful response. My dopamine is right in the middle of the range. Adenosine was not tested. The test was the Neural Zoomer Plus by Vibrant America. (Do you recommend any other test?). I see that my 5-HTP is extraordinarily low as well. I try to go the herbal/non-pharma route first before other options. I will post as you suggested and thank you for the explanation!

[Hidden in reply to fabPhilly]

It's good that you go for the non pharma route first.

A shame that adenosine was not tested, as I write it is now thought to be the neurotranmitter underlying the problems with both glutamate and dopamine.

The mid range dopamine level is reassuring, but not very significant. A high dopamine level would have been signficant. There is evidence that RLS is partly due to a lack of dopamine receptors, NOT a lack of dopamine. Hence, in some people with RLS, in an attempt to compensate for this, dopamine levels are raised.

5HTP is not actually a neurotransmitter. A test of serotonin levels would have been helpful perhaps.

Since 5HTP is a precursor of both serotonin and melatonin it might be indicative however, of problems with one, the other or both of these, I guess.

Low serotonin is assoiated with depression and low melatonin, amongst other things, is associated with insomnia.

This is purely my opinion, but it seems logical that if you have more 5HTP then you will have more serotonin and/or melatonin so it's worth trying a supplement.

I can't say it will work.

I see that you have no responses about the red light therapy.

It has been mentioned a couple of times before. Infra red treatment has been used for decades for some conditions, usually inflammatory. I used to have a lamp. It did appear red. The advent of LEDS has made a huge difference to technology and they can now say exactly what wave lengths are emitted. Devices tend to be more expensive however so it's not the sort of thing I'd personally invest in unless I was fairly convinced it will work.

If there's one supplement, which if you're not currently taking that is acknowledged as being THE most important element in RLS, then I suggest you start taking iron.

Sorry, if you already knew this.

In relation to this blood tests for serum iron, transferrin saturation, ferritin and a "full blood count" are recommended.

[Bruxelles in reply to Hidden]

I also have arthritis in my hands and avoid drinking orange juice or eating oranges as they aggravate or cause inflammation and flare-ups.How does this work as far as RLS is concerned? If inflammation is a mediating factor in RLS do you not have a problem?

Does “mediating factor” mean that it can cause RLS?

I am not sure I have expressed myself very well!

[Hidden in reply to Bruxelles]

No problem

Inflammation is a mediating factor in RLS means two things

1) The more inflammation there is in the body, the worse RLS symptoms will be.

2) The inflammation is not a direct cause of RLS,it affects it indirectly.

I believe the connection between inflammation and RLS is that inflammation can interfere with iron metabolism. Iron deficiency is a cause of RLS.

Rheumatoid arthrits often exacerbates RLS. Reducing the inflammation should help with the RLS.

In addition, there are other causes of inflammation and sometimes, e.g. chronic or sub-clinical inflammation people aren't even aware they have it.

Common casues of this are diet and guit problems.

[Bruxelles in reply to Hidden]

Hello Manerva, it’s a while since I’ve been on. I found I was spending too much time online.Thankyou for this very helpful information.

Hope you are well.

[Guitarpickin]

The only times I have RLS while in a seated position are times when I am drinking red wine or IPA beer (although there are many more times where I drink these things without issue). Good luck with your experimental diet. Hope it helps you figure out your triggers. Please let us know how it goes.

[Eryl]

Yes, I've eliminated my rls by following a strict diet. I've adopted an anti inflammatory diet which is basically a low carb diet with the addition of avoiding refined grain oils which cause oxidative stress. I mostly fry with coconut oil or sometimes cold pressed olive oil.At first I took a lot of supplements to help my nerves recover from years of abuse but can happily do without except for a weekly dose of kelp if I haven't had my occasional portion of seawed (for the iodine).

[ro203bgau]

No sugar, ice cream, coffee, fried foods, spicy foods, no cokes, no artificial sweeteners, more vegetables, more green leafy vegetables like spinach etc. Don't eat after 7PM!!!

[vikkkk]

Sugar gives me huge pains in 10-20mins after eating it

[Graham3196]

Diet can be an important factor. In my case avoiding certain food intolerances has played a key part in escaping RLS. I will send some information by private message. Its not a matter of a healthy diet Its a diet of food your body can tolerate.

[rls3737 in reply to Graham3196]

Can you please share how you were able to work out what your particular food intolerances were? I have researched this and some people say tests are unreliable. I am on an extremely limited keto diet already and would love to figure out how food is contributing.